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The 

FLAMINGO 

FEATHER 





















' 


\ 






SO THE COFFERS WERE REMOVED TO THE SHIPS 

(iSee p. 216 ) 




Flamingo 

Feather 


KIRK MUNROE/ 




With 

Pictures by 


Frank E. Schoonover 


HARPER & BROTHERS 

Publishers 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 




THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Copyright, 1887, 1923 
By HARPER & BROTHERS 
Copyright, 1915 

By KIRK MUNROE 
Printed in the U. S. A. 


First F.dition 


K-X 



0 



© Cl A 7 5'9 9 4 0 > 


way 2019?3 


J 





CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Rene de Veaux. 1 

II. A Wonderful Deliverance. 12 

III. Chitta’s Revenge. 23 

IV. Has-se is held Prisoner. 32 

V. The Escape of Has-se and Rene. 42 

VI. The Journey in Search of Food. 51 

VII. Chitta becomes a Seminole. 60 

VIII. On the Trail. 67 

IX. A Trap Avoided and Friends Discovered. 75 

X. Mutiny at Fort Caroline. 84 

XI. Rene’s Return. 94 

XII. Abandoning the Fort. 105 

XIII. Arrival of Jean Ribault. 119 

XIV. A Night of Terror. 133 

XV. Rene in the Hands of his Enemies. 147 

XVI. Has-se receives the Token. 161 

XVII. Death of Has-se (the Sunbeam). 177 

XVIII. The French have come Again. 193 

XIX. The Old World Once More. 208 


♦> 


[v] 




































Facing p. 20 


a 


a 


6 ( 


(( 


(t 


(< 


66 


(( 


46 


56 


So the Coffers Were Removed to the Ships Frontispiece 
Again They Clinched and Strained and 

Tugged. 

They Were Gliding Swiftly Down the 
Glassy Surface of the Great River . 

The Fish Were Mullet, That Has-se Had 
Speared from the Canoe .... 

“This Is Thy Doing,” He Said to Chitta, 

Who Was Regarding in Bitter 
Silence This Departure of His 

People . 

Suddenly the Whites Found Themselves 

Surrounded . 

Rene in the Hands of His Enemies 
Micco, Chief of the Seminoles .... 

R&n£ Took the Flamingo Feather and 
Waved It Above His Head .... 

The Motionless Indians Watched the 
Receding Form of Their Young Chief 


70 

92 

158 

162 

198 

216 


[vii] 























The 

FLAMINGO 

FEATHER 




THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 

* 

Chapter One 

RENE DE VEAUX 

O N a dreary winter’s day, early in the year 1564, 
young Rene de Yeaux, who had just passed his 
sixteenth birthday, left the dear old chateau where 
he had spent his happy and careless boyhood, and started 
for Paris. Less than a month before both his noble father 
and his gentle mother had been taken from him by a ter¬ 
rible fever that had swept over the country, and Rene, 
their only child, was left without a relative in the world 
except his uncle the Chevalier Rene de Laudonniere, after 
whom he was named. In those tedious days of travel it 
seemed a weary time to the lonely lad before the messen¬ 
ger who had gone to Paris with a letter telling his uncle of 

[ 1 ] 
































THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


his sad position could return. When at length he came 
again, bringing a kind message that bade him come imme¬ 
diately to Paris and be a son to his equally lonely uncle, 
Rene lost no time in obeying. 

He travelled like a young prince, riding a spirited steed, 
and followed by a party of servants, mounted and armed 
to protect him against robbers and other perils of the way. 
Behind him rode old Frangois, who had been his father’s 
valet and was now his sole friend and protector. The big 
tears rolled down the boy’s cheeks as he turned for a last 
look at his home; but as it was shut from view by the 
trees of the park surrounding it, he brushed them away 
resolutely, and turning to his companion, said: 

“Thou hast seen the last of my tears, Frangois, and with 
them goes my boyhood; for hereafter I am to be a man, 
and men know not how to weep.” 

“Well spoken, my young master,” replied the old serv¬ 
ant, greatly pleased at the brave words of the lad. “Thou 
art already a man in feeling, and thine uncle Laudonniere 
will presently make thee one in fact, if the tales that come 
to us of his valorous deeds be true, and there is naught 
to disprove them.” 

“Tell me of him, Frangois; for though he is my only 
uncle, I have but little knowledge of him or his deeds. Of 
what nature are they?” 


m 


RENE DE VEAUX 


“Well, then, he is a mighty navigator, and ’tis but little 
more than a year since he returned from the New World, 
whither he sailed in company with his Excellency Admiral 
Jean Ribault. He brings strange tales of those wonderful 
lands beyond the sea, and rumor has it that he is shortly 
to set forth again for them with a noble company, who will 
establish there a sanctuary for our blessed Protestant faith.” 

The boy’s interest was thoroughly aroused by this, and 
he plied the old servant with questions concerning his uncle 
and the New World. Frangois answered these to the best 
of his ability, and even drew largely upon his imagination 
to aid his glowing descriptions of those distant lands of 
which the men of that day held such vague knowledge. 

With such talk they beguiled much of the tedious jour¬ 
ney, that occupied a week ere it was ended and they en¬ 
tered Paris. Here they were finally set down before a 
modest dwelling near the King’s palace, in which Laudon- 
niere was lodged. 

Upon meeting his nephew, the chevalier embraced him 
warmly, and then holding him forth at arm’s-length to 
gain a better view of him, exclaimed, “In good sooth, 
Rene, thou’rt a likely lad; and if thy heart be as true and 
bold as thy face promises, we’ll soon make a man of thee 
such as even thy noble father would approve.” 

That evening uncle and nephew talked long and earnestly 

[3] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


together concerning the latter’s future; and ere they slept 
it was fully decided that, in spite of his youth, he should 
make one of the expedition that, even as Frangois had re¬ 
ported, Laudonniere was fitting out for the New World. 

The next three months were occupied in busy preparation 
for the long voyage, not unmixed with vexatious delays and 
grievous disappointments, in all of which young Rene de 
Veaux bore manfully his share. He became each day more 
useful to his uncle, who intrusted him with many impor¬ 
tant commissions, and who, stern old soldier as he was, 
learned in his time to love the boy as though he had been 
his own son. 

At length all was in readiness. The stores and munitions 
of war had been placed on board the three ships that 
formed the little fleet, the last colonist had embarked, and 
Laudonniere had taken leave of his King and of Admiral 
Jean Ribault, who was to follow him in a few months with 
a still larger company. On a bright May morning uncle 
and nephew reached the little seaport town before which 
lay their ships, and hastened to embark and take advan¬ 
tage of the favorable wind that promised them a fair start 
on their long and perilous voyage. 

As Laudonniere stepped on board his flag-ship his broad 
pennant was flung to the breeze from the mainmast-head, 
the fleur-de-lis of France floated proudly from the mizzen, 

[ 4 ] 


RENE DE VEAUX 


and amid the booming of cannon and the loud acclama¬ 
tions of the throngs assembled on the quay to bid them 
God-speed, the ships moved slowly down the harbor to¬ 
wards the broad ocean^and the New World that lay beyond. 

For many weeks they sailed ever westward, seeing no 
ship save their own, and becoming every day more weary 
of the vast, endless expanse of sea and sky. It is no won¬ 
der, then, that when on the morning of the 22d of June the 
welcome cry of “Land, ho!” rang through the flag-ship 
every soul on board rushed on deck with joyous exclama¬ 
tions to catch once more a glimpse of the blessed land. The 
cry that had brought them such pleasure had come from 
the mast-head, and it was some time before those on deck 
could detect the dim blue cloud, low-lying in the west, that 
was said to be land. Even then one man, who was known 
as Simon the armorer, was heard to mutter that it might 
be land and then again it might not; for his part, he be¬ 
lieved the whole world had been drowned in a flood, as in 
the days of Noah, and that the only land they should ever 
see would be at the bottom of the ocean. 

As the day wore on, and before a light breeze the ships 
were wafted towards the blue cloud, it was proved beyond 
a doubt to be land, for some palm-trees and tall pines be¬ 
came distinguishable, and above all other sounds came, 
faint but distinct, the heavy, regular boom of surf. 

[ 5 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


By noon the ships had approached as near to the coast 
as was deemed prudent, and for the first time since leaving 
France their anchors were dropped and their sails were 
furled. 

They had come to anchor off the mouth of an inlet, be¬ 
fore which extended a bar upon which the great seas were 
breaking and roaring so frightfully that no passage for the 
ships among them seemed to offer itself. Laudonniere 
thought that he recognized the inlet as one leading into a 
broad river, on the opposite side of which was located an 
Indian village called Seloy. This place he had visited two 
years before in company with Admiral Ribault, and he de¬ 
termined to reassure himself as to the locality; therefore, 
bidding Rene accompany him, he entered a small boat, and 
ordering another, full of soldiers, to follow them, he gave 
the word to pull straight for the breakers. 

Just as Rene thought the boat was to be swallowed by 
the raging seas, his uncle guided her, with great skill, into 
a narrow passage that opened in their very midst. After a 
few minutes of suspense, during which Rene dared hardly to 
breathe, they shot into smooth waters, rounded a point of 
land, and saw before them the village of which they were 
in search. On the beach in front of it a crowd of savage 
figures, nearly naked, were dancing wildly, and brandishing 
bows and spears. 


[6] 


RENE DE VEAUX 


Meanwhile, the village that the boats were now approach¬ 
ing had been thrown into a state of the greatest excitement 
by the appearance of the ships, which had been discovered 
while yet so distant that their sails resembled the wings of 
the white sea-gull. Upon the first alarm all the warriors 
had been collected on the beach, and the women had left 
their work in the fields of maize and hurried with the chil¬ 
dren to the security of the forest depths. When, however, 
the fleet came to anchor and the Indians could distinguish 
the meaning of their banners, their alarm was changed to 
joy; for they had learned to love the French—who, upon 
their previous visit, had treated them with kindness—as 
much as they hated the cruel Spaniards, whose ships had 
also visited that coast. Then the women and children were 
recalled from the forest, the warriors washed the war-paint 
from their faces, and preparations for feasting were begun. 

As the small boats approached, the men ran down to the 
beach to meet them, dancing and waving their weapons in 
their joy, and when they recognized Laudonniere standing 
in the stern of the leading boat, they raised a great cry of 
welcome that caused the forest to ring with its echoes. As 
the pious leader of the expedition stepped on shore, he took 
Rene by the hand, and both kneeling on the sands, gave 
thanks to Him who had guided them thus far in safety in 
their perilous wanderings. Though the simple-minded 

[ 7 ] 




THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Indians could not understand what Laudonniere said or 
was doing, they were so anxious to show their respect and 
love for him that all knelt when he did and maintained a 
deep silence while he prayed. 

When Laudonniere arose to his feet the Indians crowded 
about him with shouts and gestures of welcome; but they 
readily made way for him when, still holding Rene’s hand, 
he began to walk towards the lodge of their chief. He was 
as anxious as his followers to welcome the white men, but 
his dignity had not permitted him to rush with them down 
to the beach. 

As they walked, Rene stared in astonishment at the 
waving palms with richly plumaged birds flitting among 
their leaves, the palmetto-thatched huts of the Indians, the 
shining and inflated fish-bladders that the men wore sus¬ 
pended from their ears, the moss-woven kirtles of the 
women, and above all, at the mighty antlered stag that, 
stuffed and mounted on a tall pole, with head proudly 
turned towards the rising sun, rose from the middle of the 
village. 

He in turn was an object of astonishment and curious 
interest to the natives; for, although they had become 
familiar with the appearance of bearded white men, they 
had never before seen a white boy, Rene being the first to 
set foot in this land. The Indians had thought that all 

[ 8 ] 


RENE DE VEAUX 


white men were born with beards, and that their closely 
cropped hair never grew any longer; so that this smooth¬ 
faced boy, whose golden hair hung in ringlets over his 
shoulders, was a much greater curiosity to them than they 
were to him. The old chief took an immediate fancy to 
him, and as he had given to Laudonniere the Indian name 
of Ta-lah (a palm) upon the occasion of his previous visit 
to Seloy, he now called Rene Ta-lah-lo-ko (the palmetto, or 
little palm), a name ever afterwards used by all the Indians 
in their intercourse with him. 

The chief entreated Laudonniere to tarry many days in 
Seloy; but the latter answered that the orders of his own 
great chief were for him to proceed without delay to the 
river known as the River of May, and there erect a fort 
and found his colony. So, after an exchange of presents, 
they parted, and taking to their boats, the white men re¬ 
gained their ship. As they left, Rene gave many a back¬ 
ward glance at the pleasant little village of Seloy, and 
would have loved to linger there among its simple and 
kindly people. 

As they crossed the bar, in going again to the ships, 
their boats were surrounded by a number of what they 
called dolphins, but what are to-day called porpoises, sport¬ 
ing in the great billows; and on their account Laudonniere 
named the river they had just left the River of Dolphins. 

[ 9 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Spreading their white wings, the ships sailed northward 
forty miles during the night, and daylight found them 
standing off and on at the mouth of the great River of 
May. By the aid of a chart, made by Admiral Ribault 
two years before, they crossed its dangerous bar, and sailed 
up its broad channel. 

Short as was the time since they had been discovered off 
Seloy, swift runners had already conveyed the great tidings 
of their coming to Micco, the chief of this part of the coun¬ 
try, and he and his people were thus prepared to greet 
them upon their arrival. When Rene and his uncle, fol¬ 
lowed by a company from the ships, landed, they were re¬ 
ceived with shouts and extravagant gestures of joy by the 
friendly Indians, and conducted by them to the top of a 
hill upon which Admiral Ribault had set a pillar of stone 
engraved with the French coat of arms. They found it 
twined with wreaths of flowers, and surrounded by baskets 
of maize, quivers of arrows, and many other things that the 
kindly Indians took this means of offering to their white 
friends. 

Not far from this point Laudonniere selected the site of 
his fort, and work upon it was immediately begun. He 
named it Fort Caroline, in honor of King Charles IX of 
France, and about it he hoped to see in time a flourishing 
colony of French Huguenots. 

[ 10 ] 


RENE DE VEAUX 

After all the stores and munitions had been landed from 
the ships, they sailed away for France, leaving the little 
company of white men the only ones of their race in all 
that vast unknown wilderness. As Laudonniere remained 
in command of Fort Caroline, Rene de Veaux of course 
remained with him, and thus became the hero of the sur¬ 
prising adventures that will be related in the chapters that 
follow. 



[ 11 ] 










Chapter Two 

A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 

T HE building of Fort Caroline occupied about three 
months; and during this time the friendly Indians 
willingly aided in the work of preparing the tree- 
trunks which, set on end, were let deep into the earth close 
beside one another, and in digging the wide moat that 
surrounded the whole. A heavy embankment of earth was 
thrown up on the inner side of the palisade of tree-trunks, 
and upon this were mounted a number of great guns. 

During the time thus occupied, Rene de Veaux became 
acquainted with Micco’s son, a young Indian of about his 
own age, named Has-se, which means a sunbeam, and a 
strong friendship was speedily cemented between them. 
They saw each other daily, and each learned the language 
of the other. 

After the ships had sailed away Rene’s uncle found time, 
even in the midst of his pressing duties, to attend to the 
lad’s education; and every morning was devoted to lessons 

[ 12 ] 





A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 


in fencing, shooting the cross-bow, and in military engineer¬ 
ing. The evenings were passed with the good Jacques Le 
Moyne the artist, who was a very learned man, and who 
taught Rene Latin, and how to draw. 

Although his mornings and evenings were thus occu¬ 
pied, Rene had his afternoons to himself, and these he 
spent in company with his friend Has-se, who instructed 
him in the mysteries of Indian woodcraft. Now it hap¬ 
pened that while Has-se was a merry, lovable lad, he had 
one bitter enemy in the village. This was a young man 
somewhat older than himself, named Chitta, which means 
the Snake. Their quarrel was one of long standing, and 
nobody seemed to know how it had begun; but everybody 
said that Chitta was such a cross, ugly fellow that he must 
needs quarrel with somebody, and had chosen Has-se for 
an enemy because everybody else loved him. 

One afternoon Has-se asked Rene to go out on the river 
with him in his canoe, as he had that to tell him which he 
did not wish to run any risk of being overheard by others. 
Rene willingly agreed to go with him, and taking his cross¬ 
bow and a couple of steel-tipped bolts, he seated himself in 
the bow of the light craft, which Has-se paddled from the 
stern. Going for some distance down the river, they turned 
into a small stream from the banks of which huge, moss- 
hung oaks and rustling palm-trees cast a pleasant shade over 

[ 13 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


the dark waters. Here the canoe was allowed to drift while 
Has-se unburdened his mind to his friend. 

It seemed that the day of the Ripe Corn Dance, the great 
feast day of his tribe, was set for that of the next full moon. 
On this day there was to be a series of contests among the 
lads of the village to decide which of them was most worthy 
to become Bow-bearer to Micco, their chief and his father. 
This was considered a most honorable position to occupy, 
and he who succeeded in winning it and filling it satisfacto¬ 
rily for a year was, at the expiration of that time, granted 
all the privileges of a warrior. The contests were to be in 
shooting with bows and arrows, hurling the javelin, running, 
and wrestling. Has-se had set his heart upon obtaining 
this position, and had long been in training for the con¬ 
tests. His most dreaded rival was Chitta; and, while Has-se 
felt ready to meet the Snake in the games of running, shoot¬ 
ing, and hurling the javelin, he feared that with his greater 
weight the latter would prove more than a match for him 
in wrestling. Could Ta-lah-lo-ko advise and help him in 
this matter? 

“Ay, that can I, Has-se, my lad,” cried Rene; “thou 
couldst not have hit upon a happier expedient than that of 
asking advice of me. ’Tis but a week since I removed a 
cinder from the eye of Simon the armorer, and in return 
for the favor he taught me a trick of wrestling that sur- 

[ 14 ] 


A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 


passes aught of the kind that ever I saw. I have practised 
it daily since, and would now confidently take issue with 
any who know it not, without regard to their superior size 
or weight. I will show it thee if thou wilt promise to keep 
it secret. Ha!” 

As they talked the canoe had drifted close in to the 
shore, until it lay directly beneath the gigantic limb of a 
tree that extended far out over the water, and from which 
hung a mesh of stout vines. As he uttered the exclamation 
that finished his last sentence, Rene seized hold of a stout 
vine, and with a quick jerk drew the light craft in which 
they were seated a few feet forward. At the same instant a 
tawny body was launched like a shot from the overhanging 
limb and dashed into the water exactly at the spot over 
which, but an instant before, Has-se had sat. 

The animal that made this fierce plunge was a panther 
of the largest size; and if Rene had not chanced to catch 
sight of its nervously twitching tail as it drew itself together 
for the spring, it would have alighted squarely upon the 
naked shoulders of the unsuspecting Indian lad. Rene’s 
prompt action had, however, caused the animal to plunge 
into the water, though it only missed the canoe by a few 
feet; and when it rose to the surface it was close beside 
them. 

Has-se seized his paddle, and with a powerful stroke 

[ 15 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


forced the canoe ahead, but directly into the mesh of 
trailing vines, in which it became so entangled that they 
could not extricate it before the beast had recovered from 
his surprise and had begun to swim towards them. 

A bolt was hurriedly fitted to Rene’s cross-bow and 
hastily fired at the approaching animal. It struck him near 
the fore-shoulder, and served to check his progress for a 
moment, as with a snarl of rage he bit savagely at the 
wound, from which the blood flowed freely, crimsoning the 
water around him. Then he again turned towards the 
canoe, and seemed to leap rather than swim, in his eager¬ 
ness to reach it. A second bolt, fired with even greater 
haste than the first, missed the panther entirely, and the 
boys were about to plunge from the opposite side of the 
canoe into the water, in their despair, when an almost 
unheard-of thing occurred to effect their deliverance. 

Just as one more leap would have brought the panther 
within reach of the canoe, a huge, dark form rose from the 
red waters behind him, and a pair of horrid jaws opened, 
and then closed like a vise upon one of his hind-quarters. 
The panther uttered a wild yell, made a convulsive spring 
forward, his claws rattled against the side of the canoe, 
and then the waters closed above his head, and he was 
dragged down into the dark depths of the stream, to the 
slimy home of the great alligator, who had thus delivered 

[ 16 ] 


A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 

the boys from their peril. A few bubbles coming up through 
the crimson waters told of the terrible struggle going on 
beneath them, and then all was still, and the stream flowed 
on as undisturbed as before. For a few moments the boys 
sat gazing in silent amazement at the place of the sudden 
disappearance of their enemy, hardly believing that he 
would not again return to the attack. 

When they had regained the fort, Laudonniere heard 
with horror Rene’s story of their adventure with the tiger 
and the crocodile, as he named panthers and alligators, 
and bade him be very careful in the future how he wan¬ 
dered in the wilderness. He did not forbid his nephew 
to associate with Has-se, for he was most anxious to pre¬ 
serve a friendship with the Indians, upon whom his little 
colony was largely dependent for provisions, and he con¬ 
sidered Rene’s influence with the Indian lad, who was the 
son of the chief, very important. 

On the afternoon following that of their adventure, 
Has-se came into the fort in search of Rene, and anxious to 
acquire the promised trick of wrestling. After securing his 
promise never to impart the trick to another, Rene led him 
into a room where they would not be observed, and taught 
it to him. It was a very simple trick, being merely a feint 
of giving way, followed quickly by a peculiar inside twist 
of the leg; but it was irresistible, and the opponent who 

[ 17 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


knew it not was certain to be overcome by it. Has-se 
quickly acquired it, and though he found few words to ex¬ 
press his feelings, there was a look in his face when he 
left Rene that showed plainly his gratitude. 

When next the silver sickle of the new moon shone in 
the western sky, active preparations were begun among the 
Indians for their great Dance of Ripe Corn. The race¬ 
course was laid out, and carefully cleared; clay was mixed 
with its sand, and it was trampled hard and smooth by 
many moccasined feet. A large booth, or shelter from the 
hot sun, under which the chiefs and distinguished visitors 
might sit and witness the games, was constructed of boughs 
and palm-leaves. Bows were carefully tested and fitted 
with new strings of twisted deer-sinew. Those who had 
been fortunate enough to obtain from the white men bits 
of steel or iron, ground them to sharp points, and with 
them replaced their arrow-heads of flint. Has-se, with 
great pride, displayed to Rene his javelin or light spear, 
the tough bamboo shaft of which was tipped with a keen- 
edged splinter of milk-white quartz, obtained from some far 
northern tribe. Guests began to arrive, coming from Seloy 
and other coast villages from the north, and from the broad 
savannas of the fertile Alachua land, until many hundreds 
of them were encamped within a few miles of Fort Caroline. 

At length the day of feasting broke bright and beauti- 

[ 18 ] 


A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 


ful, and soon after breakfast Laudonniere, accompanied by 
Rene de Veaux and half the garrison of Fort Caroline, 
marched out to the scene of the games. Here they were 
warmly welcomed by Micco and his people, and invited to 
occupy seats of honor in the great booth. Upon their ar¬ 
rival the signal was given for the games to begin. 

First of all came the races for wives, for at this feast 
only of all the year could the young men of the tribe get 
married. Even now they were obliged to run after their 
sweethearts, who were allowed so great a start in the race 
that if they chose they could reach the goal first and thus 
escape all further attentions from their pursuers. They 
generally allowed themselves to be caught, however, and 
thus became blushing brides. Thus, on this occasion, and 
in this manner, Yah-chi-la-ne (the Eagle), a young Alachua 
chief, gained the hand of Has-se’s beautiful sister Nethla, 
which means the Day-star. 

The contests among the boys to decide who of them 
should be Bow-bearer to their chief for the ensuing year 
followed, and as the great drum, Kas-a-lal-ki, rolled forth 
its hollow, booming notes, twenty slender youths stepped 
forward, of whom the handsomest was Has-se the Sun¬ 
beam, and the tallest was dark-faced Chitta the Snake. 
All were stripped to the skin, and wore only girdles about 
their loins and moccasins on their feet; but Has-se, as the 

[ 19 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


son of the chief, had the scarlet feather of a flamingo braided 
into his dark hair. 

From the very first Has-se and Chitta easily excelled all 
their competitors in the contests; but they two were most 
evenly matched. Has-se scored the most points in hurling 
the javelin, and Chitta won in the foot-race. In shooting 
with the bow both were so perfect that the judges could 
not decide between them, and the final result of the trial 
became dependent upon their skill at wrestling. When 
they stood up together for this contest, Has-se’s slight form 
seemed no match for that of the taller and heavier Chitta; 
and when in the first bout the former was thrown heavily 
to the ground, a murmur of disapprobation arose from the 
white spectators, though the Indians made no sign to ex¬ 
press their feelings. 

In the second bout, after a sharp struggle, Has-se seemed 
suddenly to give way, and almost immediately afterwards 
Chitta was hurled to earth, but how, no one could tell, ex¬ 
cept Rene, who with the keenest interest watched the effect 
of his lesson. As Chitta rose to his feet he seemed dazed, 
and regarded his opponent with a bewildered air, as though 
there were something about him he could not understand. 

Again they clinched and strained and tugged, until the 
perspiration rolled in great beads from their shining bodies, 
and their breath came in short gasps. It seemed as though 

[ 20 ] 



.. v , ...... __ _ # 6 ^ 


AGAIN THE A* CLINCHED AND STRAINED AND TUGGED 




A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE 


Rene’s friend must give in, when, presto! down went Chitta 
again; while Has-se stood erect, a proud smile on his face, 
winner of the games, and Bow-bearer to his father for a 
year. 

Has-se had still to undergo one more test of endurance 
before he could call himself a warrior, which he must be 
able to do ere he could assume the duties of Bow-bearer. 
He must pass through the ordeal of the Cassine, or black 
drink. This was a concoction prepared by the medicine¬ 
men, of roots and leaves, from a recipe the secret of which 
was most jealously guarded by them; and to drink of it 
was to subject one’s self to the most agonizing pains, which, 
however, were but of short duration. In spite of his suffer¬ 
ings, the youth who drank from the horrid bowl was ex¬ 
pected to preserve a smiling face, nor admit by word or sign 
that he was undergoing aught but the most pleasing sensa¬ 
tions. If he failed in this one thing, no matter what record 
he had previously gained for courage or daring, he was ever 
afterwards condemned to share the work of women, nor 
might he ever again bear arms or take part in the chase or 
in war. 

Immediately after his overthrow of Chitta, and while 
the shouts of joy over his victory were still ringing in his 
ears, Has-se was led to an elevated seat, where he could be 
seen of all the people, and a bowl of the awful mixture was 

[ 21 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


handed him. Without hesitation, and with a proud glance 
around him, the brave youth swallowed the nauseous 
draught, and then, folding his arms, gazed with a smiling 
face upon the assembled multitude. For fifteen minutes he 
sat there amid a death-like silence, calm and unmoved, 
though the great beads of perspiration rolling from his fore¬ 
head showed what he was enduring. At the end of that 
time a great shout from the people told him that his ordeal 
was over; and, weak and faint, he was led away to a place 
where he might recover in quiet from the effects of his ter¬ 
rible sufferings, and enjoy in peace the first glorious thoughts 
that now he was indeed a Bow-bearer and a warrior. 

Rene sprang forward from his seat to seize and shake 
his friend’s hand, while from all, Indians as well as whites, 
arose shouts of joy at the victory of the brave and much¬ 
loved lad who wore the Flamingo Feather. 

As the angry Chitta turned away from the scene of his 
defeat, his heart was filled with rage at these shouts, and 
he muttered a deep threat of vengeance upon all who ut¬ 
tered them, those of his own race as well as the pale-faces. 


Chapter Three 
chitta’s revenge 

S O Has-se the Sunbeam became Bow-bearer to his 
father, the great chief Micco, and Chitta the Snake 
was disappointed of his ambition. By some means he 
became convinced that Rene De Veaux had instructed 
Has-se in his newly acquired trick of wrestling; and though 
he had no proof of this, he conceived a bitter hatred against 
the white lad. He had especially included him in his mut¬ 
tered threat of vengeance against all those who greeted his 
final overthrow with shouts of joy; but, like the wily rep¬ 
tile whose name he bore, he was content to bide his time 
and await his opportunity to strike a deadly blow. After 
the games were ended he disappeared, and was seen no 
more that day. 

His absence was hardly noted, for immediately after 

[ 23 ] 



THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Ilas-se’s victory the entire assembly repaired to the great 
mound which had gradually been raised by the accumula¬ 
tion of shells, bones, broken pottery, and charred wood 
that many generations of Indian feasters had left behind 
them, and here was spread the feast of the day. Then fol¬ 
lowed dancing and singing, which were continued far into 
the night. 

At length the dancers became exhausted; the men who 
beat the drums and rattled the terrapin shells filled with 
dried palmetto berries grew so drowsy that their music 
sounded fainter and fainter, until it finally ceased alto¬ 
gether, and by two hours after midnight the whole en¬ 
campment was buried in profound slumber. Even those 
whose duty it was to stand guard dozed at their posts, and 
the silence of the night was only broken by the occasional 
hootings of Hup-pe (the great owl). 

Had the guards been awake instead of dreaming, it is 
possible that they might have noticed the dark figure of a 
man who noiselessly and stealthily crept amid the heavy 
shadows on the edge of the forest towards the great granary, 
or storehouse, in which was kept all the ripe maize of the 
tribe, together with much starch-root (koonti katki) and a 
large quantity of yams. The granary was built of pitch- 
pine posts and poles, heavily thatched with palm-leaves, 
that the summer suns had dried to a tinder. 

[ 24 ] 


CHITTA’S REVENGE 


Occasionally the dark figure skulking among the shadows 
came to little patches of bright moonlight, and to cross 
these he lay flat on the ground and writhed his way through 
the grass like a snake. A close observer would have noticed 
a dull, steady glow which came from a round object that 
the skulker carried with great care. If he had been near 

enough he would have seen that this was a large gourd, in 

✓ 

which, on a bed of sand, were a quantity of live coals taken 
from one of the fires that still smouldered about the epola, 
or place of dancing. In his other hand the man carried a few 
fat-pine splinters that would burn almost like gun-powder. 

At length, without having attracted attention from any 
one of the encamped Indians, or the drowsy guards upon 
whom they depended for safety, the figure reached the 
granary, and disappeared amid the dark shadows of its 
walls. Crouching to the ground, and screening his gourd of 
coals with his robe, he thrust into it one end of the bundle 
of fat-pine splinters and blew gently upon them. They 
smoked for a minute, and then burst into a quick blaze. 

Beginning at one end of the granary, this torch was ap¬ 
plied to the dry thatch that covered it, and it instantly 
sprang into flame. As the figure ran along the end of the 
structure, around the corner, and down the entire length 
of its side, always keeping in the shadow, he applied the 
torch in a dozen places, and then flinging it on top of the 

[ 25 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


low roof, where it speedily ignited the covering, he bounded 
away into the darkness, uttering, as he did so, a long- 
drawn, ear-piercing yell of triumph. 

By the time the nodding guards had discovered the 
flames and given the alarm, the whole granary was in a 
blaze, and the startled Indians, who rushed out from the 
lodges and palmetto booths, could do nothing but stand 
helpless and gaze at the destruction of their property. All 
asked how it had happened, and who had done this thing, 
but not even the guards could offer the slightest explana¬ 
tion. 

Meantime the author of all this mischief stopped when 
he had gained what he considered a safe distance from the 
fire, and, concealed by the friendly shadows of the forest, 
stood with folded arms and scowling features gazing at the 
result of his efforts. At length the light from the burning 
building grew so bright that even the shadow in which he 
stood began to be illumined, and he turned to go away. 
As he did so he shook his clenched hand towards the burn¬ 
ing granary, and muttered, “The white man and the red 
man shall both learn to dread the fangs of the Snake, for 
thus do I declare war against them both.” 

As he spoke, a voice beside him, that he instantly recog¬ 
nized as that of Has-se, exclaimed, “What! is this thy 
work, Chitta?” 


[ 26 ] 


CHITTA’S REVENGE 


For answer Has-se received a terrible blow, full in the 
face, that stretched him, stunned and bleeding, on the 
ground; and Chitta, saying, “Lie there, miserable Bow- 
bearer; I will meet thee again,” sprang out into the forest 
and disappeared. 

When Has-se, aroused by the shouts of the guards and 
the glare of light, had rushed from the lodge in which he 
slept, he had seen a figure standing between him and the 
light, and had approached it to learn the cause of all the 
excitement. He was just about to speak, when he recog¬ 
nized Chitta, and heard him utter the words that at once 
declared him to be the author of the conflagration and the 
enemy of his people and their friends. 

Not being able to appreciate the petty spirit of revenge 
that influenced the Snake, Has-se gave utterance to his ex¬ 
clamation of surprise, and in return received the cruel blow 
for which he was so little prepared. 

When he recovered consciousness he found himself in 
his father’s lodge, lying on a bed of deer-skins, while his 
sister, the beautiful Nethla, was bathing his temples with 
cold water. 

It was now broad daylight, and the great granary, with 
all its contents, had been reduced to a heap of smouldering 
ruins. About the lodge in which Has-se lay were gathered 
a great crowd of Indians, awaiting his return to conscious- 

[ 27 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


ness, to learn what he knew of the occurrences of the past 
few hours, and in what way he had been connected with 
them. By the earliest light of day a band of experienced 
warriors had tracked his assailant from the spot in which 
the young Bow-bearer had been discovered, through the 
tall grass and underbrush from which the fugitive had 
brushed the dew in his flight to the river’s edge. Here one 
of the canoes that had been drawn up on the beach was 
found to be missing, and search parties had been sent both 
up and down the river, but as yet they had not returned. 

As Has-se slowly recovered consciousness, and opened 
his eyes, his sister bent over him and whispered, “Who 
dealt thee the cruel blow, oh, my brother?” 

Receiving his faint answer, she sprang to her feet, and 
turning to her father, who stood near, exclaimed, “’Tis 
Chitta the Snake who has done this thing in revenge for 
our Has-se’s success in the games of yesterday.” 

From the entrance of the lodge the old chief proclaimed 
the news, and all through the great assembly were heard 
cries of anger against Chitta the Snake. 

The destruction of this winter’s supply of food was not 
only a serious blow to the Indians, but to the little garri¬ 
son of Fort Caroline as well, for Laudonniere had just com¬ 
pleted arrangements with Micco for the purchase of the 
greater part of it. Only a small quantity of provisions 

[ 28 ] 


CHITTA’S REVENGE 


remained in the fort, and though the forest contained an 
abundance of game, and the river teemed with fish, the 
French soldiers were not skilled in either hunting or fish¬ 
ing, and had become dependent upon their Indian neigh¬ 
bors for what they needed of such food. It was therefore 
with feelings of surprised alarm that on the second day 
after the burning of the granary, they noticed the absence 
of all Indians from the vicinity of the fort. Scouts were 
sent to the Indian encampment to discover the cause of 
this unusual state of affairs, and they soon returned with 
the report that the place was wholly deserted, and that not 
an Indian was to be found. 

Not only had all the visiting Indians disappeared, but 
also every soul of Micco’s tribe; and, what was more sig¬ 
nificant, they had taken with them their lodges and all 
portable property. 

Laudonniere at once realized the full force of the situa¬ 
tion. His soldiers were worn out with the labor of building 
the fort, and many of them were prostrated by a peculiar 
fever that racked their joints with severe pains and un¬ 
fitted them for duty. The store of provisions upon which he 
had depended to feed his men through the approaching 
winter had been destroyed. The Indians who might have 
provided him with game had abandoned him and gone he 
knew not whither. His men knew nothing of the art of 

[ 29 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


winning for themselves a livelihood from the wilderness 
that surrounded them. Although the soldiers had been al¬ 
lowed to think differently, he knew that some months must 
still elapse before the arrival of reinforcements and sup¬ 
plies from France. He himself, worn out by anxiety and 
overwork, was beginning to feel symptoms of the approach 
of the dreaded fever, and he feared that erelong he 
would be unfitted to perform the duties of his important 
position. 

In this emergency he decided to hold a council with the 
officers of the garrison, and ask their aid in deciding what 
was to be done. He therefore sent word to Soisson, his 
lieutenant, old Hillaire, the captain of artillery, Martinez, 
the quartermaster, Chastelleux, the chief of engineers, Le 
Moyne, the artist, and to Rene, his nephew, bidding them 
meet him in council. He added Rene to the number, for 
his uncle wished him to fully comprehend the difficulties of 
their position. 

The council met in the commandant’s private room, and 
Laudonniere, stating the situation clearly to them, asked 
what was to be done. Some suggested one thing and some 
another, and the discussion was long and earnest. Le 
Moyne, the artist, added to the perplexities of the com¬ 
mandant by stating that he had heard rumors of dissatisfac¬ 
tion among the garrison, and threats that unless provisions 

[ 30 ] 


CHITTA’S REVENGE 

were speedily obtained they would build a vessel, abandon 
the fort and country, and attempt to make their way back 
to France. 

While the discussion was at its height, two soldiers ap¬ 
peared at the door, leading between them a slender young 
Indian, whom Rene, with a joyful cry, at once recognized 
as his friend Has-se the Sunbeam. 




.s. 


[ 31 ] 





Chapter Four 

HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 

S ALUTING his commandant, the sergeant of the guard, 
who held the prisoner on the right, reported that this 
young savage had been seen skulking in the forest 
near the fort, and that, deeming his presence and move¬ 
ments very suspicious, he had sent a party of men to cap¬ 
ture him. They had gone out by a rear gate, and, making 
a long detour, had surprised him just as he was making off 
through the underbrush, and after a sharp tussle had se¬ 
cured and brought him into the fort. 

At the first appearance of his friend, Rene had started 
up with an exclamation of joy to go to him, but his uncle 
sternly bade him keep his seat. He obeyed, but scowled 
angrily at the soldiers, who still retained their hold of 
Has-se, as though fearful that if they let go he might in 
some mysterious way vanish from their sight. 

[ 32 ] 













HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 


Laudonniere commanded them to release their hold of 
the prisoner and to retire from the room, but to remain 
within call. They did so, and the young Indian, left to 
face the council, drew himself up proudly, and folding his 
arms, stood motionless. Rene tried in vain to catch his 
eye, that he might, by a sympathetic glance, assure him of 
his friendship; but the other betrayed no recognition of his 
presence, nor once looked in his direction. He was dressed 
in the full costume of a young warrior who occupied the 
honorable position of Bow-bearer to a great chief, and in 
his hair gleamed the Flamingo Feather that proclaimed 
the station in life to which he was born. His handsome 
figure, proud face, and fearless bearing caused the members 
of the council to regard him with approving glances, and it 
was with less of sternness in his tone than usual that, after 
the door was closed, Laudonniere said: 

“Now, sir, explain to us the meaning of this sudden 
departure of thy people, and the reason of thine own action 
in thus acting the part of a spy upon us.” 

With flashing eyes the young Indian answered in the 
French that he had learned of Rene: “My name is Has-se. 
I am the son of a chief. My father and my people have 
been friendly to you and your people. This country is 
ours, and in it we go where we please when we are ready 
to go, and stay where we please when we are ready to rest 

[ 33 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


from going. I have done nothing that I should be brought 
here against my will, and until I am set free I will answer 
no questions. Has-se has spoken.” 

Rene’s face flushed with pleasure at this brave speech 
of his friend, and even Laudonniere admired the young 
Indian’s coolness and courage, but he nevertheless felt it 
his duty to maintain his dignity, and questioned him 
sternly. To all his questions, however, Has-se remained 
dumb, absolutely refusing to open his lips. The expression, 
“Has-se has spoken,” with which he had ended his defiant 
speech, signified that he had said all that he had to say, 
and nothing should induce him to speak further unless his 
condition of being set at liberty were complied with. 

At last Laudonniere called in the soldiers, and ordered 
them to take the prisoner to the guard-house, and there 
treat him kindly, but to watch him closely, and on no ac¬ 
count allow him to escape. When Has-se had thus been 
removed, Laudonniere turned to the members of the coun¬ 
cil, and asked what, in their opinion, should be done with 
him. 

Le Moyne, the artist, declared that the young Indian 
should be set free at once, and treated with such kindness 
that he might thereby be induced to give them the infor¬ 
mation they sought to gain. Then Rene de Veaux, blush¬ 
ing at his own boldness, jumped to his feet and made a 

[ 34 ] 


HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 


vehement little speech, in which he said that Has-se was 
his dear friend, and that, as he himself had said, they had 
no right to make a prisoner of him, besides much more to 
the same effect. He became so excited in his defence of 
the Indian lad that finally his uncle interrupted him, saying: 

“ Softly, softly, Rene! Thou art right to defend thy 
friend if indeed he be not our enemy, but thou hast no 
authority for finding fault with those who are much older 
and wiser than thyself.” 

Blushing furiously at this rebuke, Rene sat down, while 
his uncle continued: “I am also of the opinion that this 
young savage should be courteously entreated and set at 
liberty. Thus shall we win favor with his tribe, with whom 
it behooves us to remain on friendly terms.” 

The others of the council did not, however, agree with 
this, but thought the better plan would be to retain the 
Indian lad as a hostage, and demand of his tribe a great 
quantity of provisions as his ransom. * 

As they were in the majority, Laudonniere hesitated to 
act contrary to their counsel, and finally said that they 
would hold him for at least one day, and that in the mean¬ 
time Rene- should visit him, and endeavor to extract from 
him the desired information regarding the movements of 
his people. 

When Rene, armed with his uncle’s authority for so 

[ 35 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


doing, passed the sentinel and entered the guard-house, he 
found the Indian lad seated on a rude bench in one corner, 
with his face buried in his hands. He sprang to his feet at 
Rene’s approach, and stood silently regarding him, not 
knowing but what he too had become an enemy. Care¬ 
fully closing the door behind him, the impulsive French 
boy stepped quickly over to where the other stood, and 
embraced him, saying, as he did so, 4 ‘Surely, Has-se, my 
brother, thou canst not think that I am aught but thy 
friend? ” 

Thus reassured, Has-se returned the embrace, and said, 
“I know thou art my friend, Ta-lah-lo-ko, and I did wrong 
to doubt thee for a moment; but it maddens me to be 
thus caged, and I am become like Nutcha the hawk when 
restrained of his liberty, suspicious of all men.” 

Then both boys sat down on the bench, and Rene ques¬ 
tioned Has-se regarding the sudden departure of the Indians, 
and why he was there alone. 

Has-se replied that while he had no secrets that all men 
might not know, he would have died rather than answer 
the questions of those who held him a prisoner, and as such 
commanded him to speak. To his friend Ta-lah-lo-ko he 
would, however, talk freely and with a straight tongue. 
He said that after the destruction of the storehouse con¬ 
taining their supply of provisions for many months, Micco, 

[ 36 ] 


HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 


their chief, had decided that it would be best for his people 
to remove to the land of the Alachuas, their friends, who 
had provisions in plenty, and remain there until the next 
season of corn-planting. He caused their departure to be 
made secretly, for fear that the white men would seek to 
detain them as hunters for the fort, if they learned of the 
intended movement, and he wished to avoid any shadow 
of trouble between his people and their white brothers. 

“He had undoubtedly the right to act as seemed to 
him best,” said Rene; “but why didst not thou accompany 
thy people, and what brings thee here to the fort?” 

“To see thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko, and thee only, did I come,” 
answered Has-se. “I learned, after we had been some 
hours on the journey, that which affects thee so nearly that 
I could not leave thee in ignorance of it and without a 
warning. What I learned is, that Chitta the Snake regards 
thee with a deadly hatred, and has sworn to have thy life.” 

“Mine!” exclaimed Rene, in great surprise. “Why does 
the Snake bear malice towards me? I have no quarrel 
with him.” 

“That I know not, unless he suspects that it was thou 
who taught me the trick of wrestling that overthrew him, 
and thus lost him the position of Bow-bearer that he so 
greatly desired to obtain.” 

“It may be so,” said Rene, musingly, “though how he 

[ 37 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


could learn it I cannot think, nor why, even if he had 
knowledge of it, it should be cause for his wishing my 
death.” 

“Ah, Ta-lah-lo-ko, thou dost not know Chitta. His 
nature is that of the serpent whose name he bears, and for 
real or fancied wrongs to himself his revenge is cruel. Hav¬ 
ing once conceived a bitter hate against thee he will have 
thy life, or risk his own in attempting to take it.” 

“In that case,” said Rene, “I am deeply grateful for 
thy warning, and will take care that master Chitta does 
not find me unprepared for him, in case he seeks me out.” 

“Now,” said Has-se, “I would speak of another mat¬ 
ter. I know that you white men have but little food 
within the fort, and must soon suffer for want of it if more 
is not obtained. There is none left in this country, but 
the Alachuas, to whom my people have gone, have an 
abundance. If one of thy people would go with me to 
them, and offer them things such as thou hast and they 
have not, in exchange for food, he could thus obtain a 
supply for the fort. If many went, the red men would be 
afraid; but with one they would talk, and if he were my 
friend then would his safety be assured. Wilt thou go 
with me to this distant land, Ta-lah-lo-ko?” 

“Why,” answered Rene, hardly knowing what to say to 
this sudden and unexpected proposal, “thou art a prisoner, 

[ 38 ] 


HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 


Has-se, and dost not even know if my uncle will release 
thee. How then dost thou speak with such confidence of 
journeying to the land of these Alachuas?” 

With a meaning smile Has-se answered: “Walls and 
bars may answer to cage men, but they cannot confine a 
sunbeam. If thou wilt go with me, then meet me when 
the light of the second moon from now touches the waters 
where Allapatta the great alligator delivered us from Cat- 
sha the tiger. With my life will I answer for thy safety, 
and at the next full moon, or soon after it, thou shalt re¬ 
turn to thy people.” 

Rene would have talked more of this plan, but just 
then the door of the guard-house was opened and the ser¬ 
geant appeared, saluting, and saying, “’Tis the hour of 
sunset, Master DeVeaux; the guard is about to be re¬ 
lieved, and I must request you to retire and leave the 
prisoner for the night. Surely you must be tired of talking 
with such a pig-headed young savage.” 

Not caring to exhibit his real feelings towards Has-se 
before the sergeant, Rene bade him good-night very for¬ 
mally, and added, “Mayhap I will see thee on the morrow; 
but count not on my coming, for I may not deem it worth 
my while to visit thee.” 

“I should think not,” said the sergeant, as he closed 
the door behind them and barred it. “A young gentleman 

[ 39 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


such as Master De Veaux can find but little pleasure in in¬ 
tercourse with such ignorant creatures. For my part, were 
I commandant of this fort, I would make slaves of them 
all, and kindly persuade them to my will with a lash. 
They—” 

“Hold there!” cried Rene, as he turned towards the 
sergeant with flashing eyes. “An thou speakest another 
word in such strain of those who have favored us with 
naught save kindness, I will report thee to that same lash 
of which thou pratest so glibly.” 

The astonished sergeant muttered something by way of 
apology, but Rene, not waiting to hear it, hurried away to 
report to his uncle the result of his mission to the prisoner, 
and then to his own quarters to think over the startling 
proposal made to him by his friend. 

The next morning Has-se had disappeared, and was no¬ 
where to be found. With a troubled countenance the ser¬ 
geant of the guard reported to Laudonniere that he had 
looked in on the prisoner at midnight, and found him 
quietly sleeping. He had visited the room again at sunrise, 
and it was empty. The sentinels at the gates and those 
who paced the walls had been closely questioned, but de¬ 
clared they had seen nobody, nor had they heard any un¬ 
usual sound. For his part he believed there was magic in 
it, and that some of the old Indian witches had spirited the 

[ 40 ] 


> 


HAS-SE IS HELD PRISONER 


prisoner up the chimney, and flown away with him on a 
broom-stick. 

Although troubled to find that his prisoners could thus 
easily escape from the fort, Laudonniere was relieved that 
the disposal of Has-se’s fate had thus been taken from his 
hands. He said to Rene: “I am glad that thy friend has 
escaped, though I like not the manner of his going, and I 
trust he may come to no harm. I would, however, that we 
had been able to send a company, or even one man, with 
him to this land of the Alachuas of which he told thee, for 
mayhap we might thus have obtained provision; but with¬ 
out a guide, I know not how it could be discovered.” 

“Could I have gone, uncle?” inquired Rene, eagerly. 

“Thou, lad? No, thou art too young and tender to be 
sent on such a perilous mission. It should be one of double 
thy years and experience. Let no such foolish thoughts fill 
thy head yet a while.” 


[ 41 ] 



Chapter Five 

THE ESCAPE OF HAS-SE AND RENE 

T HIS speech from his uncle both pleased and troubled 
Rene. He was glad to learn that it was deemed 
advisable for some one from the fort to visit the 
land of the Alachuas, and troubled to find that if he went 
with Has-se, he must do so without permission from his 
uncle. Nevertheless he felt certain that he, being Has-se’s 
friend, and also regarded by the Indians as the son of the 
great chief of the white men, could undertake the mission 
with a greater chance of safety and success than any one 
else. He would have urged this view of the case upon his 
uncle’s attention, but feared that speaking of the subject 
a second time would only result in his being absolutely for¬ 
bidden to leave the fort on any pretence. The lad felt him¬ 
self to be truly a man, now that he was nearly seventeen 
years old, and like all manly, high-spirited boys of his age, 

[ 42 ] 
































THE ESCAPE OF HAS-SE AND RENE 

he was most anxious to enter upon any adventure that 
promised novelty and excitement. 

Rene’s appearance at this time was very different from 
that of the boy who, less than a year before, had left the 
old chateau of his fathers with tear-stained cheeks. His 
long curls had fallen under the shears, and his closely 
cropped hair showed to advantage his well-formed head. 
He was tall for his age, his muscles had hardened with 
constant exercise, and his face, neck, and hands were 
tanned to a ruddy brown by the hot suns beneath which 
he had spent so many months. His brown eyes held 
a merry twinkle, but at the same time there was an ex¬ 
pression of pride and fixed purpose in his face that well 
became it. 

At this time he wore a small plumed cap, a leathern 
jacket, knee-breeches, stockings of stout yarn, and short 
boots, the legs of which fitted closely to his ankles. Simon, 
the armorer, had made for him a light steel corselet, that 
he wore over his leathern jacket whenever he went beyond 
the walls of the fort. Upon all such excursions he was 
armed with his well-tried cross-bow (for which he carried a 
score of steel-tipped bolts) and a small, but keen-edged, 
dagger that hung at his belt. 

After considering Has-se’s proposal all the morning, 
Rene finally decided to accept it, and, without notifying 

[ 43 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


any person in the fort of his intention, to accompany the 
young Indian to the land of the Alachuas. 

In accordance with this plan he gathered together a 
number of trinkets, such as he knew would be acceptable 
to the Indians, and during the afternoon he conveyed these 
to the forest beyond the fort, where he bound them into a 
compact package and carefully hid them. 

Rene could not account, any more than the others, for 
Has-se’s disappearance, nor imagine how his escape had 
been effected; but he felt certain that the young Indian 
would be true to his word, and await his coming at the ap¬ 
pointed place of meeting when the moon rose above the 
pine-tree tops. 

As it would not rise until nearly ten o’clock that evening, 
and as his uncle retired early on account of his indisposition, 
Rene was able to bid him an affectionate good-night and re¬ 
ceive his customary blessing without arousing any suspicion 
of his intended departure in the breast of the old soldier. 

Leaving his own quarters about nine o’clock, with his 
cross-bow over his shoulder, Rene walked with an uncon¬ 
cerned air, but with a beating heart, directly to the main 
gate of the fort, at which he was challenged by the senti¬ 
nel on duty there. Rene gave the countersign, and was 
recognized by the soldier, who, however, firmly refused to 
allow him to pass. 

[ 44 ] 


THE ESCAPE OF HAS-SE AND RENE 

He said, 44 X am sorry to be obliged to interrupt thy 
walk, Master De Veaux; but since the escape of the Indian 
prisoner last night, we have received strictest orders not 
to allow a living soul to pass the gates between sunset and 
sunrise.” 

Thus turned back at the very outset of his adventure, 
Rene knew not what to do. Should he attempt to scale the 
walls, he might be shot while so doing, and at any rate 
there was the moat beyond, which he could not possibly 
cross without detection. Seeking the deep shadow of an 
angle, the boy seated himself on a gun-carriage and pon¬ 
dered over the situation. The more he thought of it the 
more impossible did it seem for him to escape beyond the 
grim walls and meet Has-se at the appointed time. 

While he was thus overcome by the difficulties of his 
position, and as he had about concluded that he had under¬ 
taken an impossibility, he was startled by the deep tones 
of the great bell that hung in the archway of the gate, strik¬ 
ing the hour of ten o’clock. Directly afterwards came the 
measured tramp of the guard and the clank of their weapons 
as they made their round for the purpose of relieving the 
sentinels on duty, and replacing them with fresh men. Rene 
sat so near the gate-way that he could overhear what was 
said when that post was relieved, and distinguishing above 
the rest the voice of his old friend Simon the armorer, he 

[ 45 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


became convinced that he had been placed on duty at this 
most important point. 

After relieving this post the guard resumed their march, 
and passed so close to where Rene sat in the shadow of the 
great gun that, had the night been a shade lighter, they 
must have seen him. As it was, he escaped detection, and 
once more breathed freely as their footsteps sounded fainter 
and fainter in the distance. After a while he heard them 
return along the opposite side of the fort, and finally halt 
in front of the guard-house, when silence again reigned 
throughout the entire enclosure. 

As Rene still sat on the gun-carriage, thinking how he 
might turn to account the fact of his friend Simon being on 
duty at the main gate-way, the sound of a groan came 
from that direction. As it was repeated, the lad sprang to 
his feet and walked quietly but rapidly towards the place 
whence it came. When near the gate-way he laid down his 
cross-bow and advanced without it, until brought to a halt 
by a sharp challenge in the gruff voice of old Simon. 

Rene gave the countersign, and added, “It is I, Rene 
de Veaux, good Simon. Hearing thy groans, I came to 
learn their cause. What distresses thee so grievously?” 

“Ah! Master De Veaux,” answered the old soldier, “I 
fear me greatly that the fever of the bones with which so 
many of our men are suffering has at length laid hold on 

[ 46 ] 



THEY WERE GLIDING SWIFTLY DOWN THE GLASSY SURFACE OF THE GREAT RIVER 










THE ESCAPE OF HAS-SE AND RENE 


me. I have been warned for some days of its approach, 
and only a few hours since obtained from good Master Le 
Moyne physic which, if taken at the outset, prevents much 
pain. I left it in the smithy near the forge, not deeming 
the attack so near; but the chill of the night air hath has¬ 
tened it, and already am I suffering the torments of the 
rack. Tell me, lad, wilt thou fetch me the phial from the 
smithy, that I may test the virtue of its contents?” 

“Not so, good Simon,” answered Rene, whose thoughts 
had been busy while the old soldier told of his troubles. 
“I will gladly aid thee, but am convinced that it can bet¬ 
ter be done in another way. Go thou for the physic, for 
thou canst more readily place hands upon it than I, and 
at the same time apparel thyself in garments thicker and 
more suited to the chill of the night than those thou wear- 
est. I will stand watch until thy return, and pledge thee my 
word that none shall pass, or be the wiser for thy absence.” 

All his soldier’s training forbade Simon to accept this 
offer. To desert his post, even though he left it guarded by 
another, would, he knew, be considered one of the gravest 
military crimes. Therefore the struggle in his mind be¬ 
tween duty on the one side and his sufferings on the other 
was long and pitiful. 

Finally pain conquered. “Well, well, Master Rene,” 
he said, gruffly, “I must e’en take thy advice, and obtain 

[ 47 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


speedy release from this pain, or else be found here dead 
ere the post be relieved. Keep thou open keen eyes and 
ears, and I pray that no harm may come of this my first 
neglect of duty in all the years that I have served the King.” 

With these words the old soldier thrust his pike into 
Rene’s hands, and hurried away as quickly as his pain 
would permit towards his own quarters in the smithy. 

As soon as Simon was out of hearing, Rene went and re¬ 
covered his cross-bow. Then he carefully and noiselessly un¬ 
did the fastenings of the great gate, and swung it open a few 
inches. This accomplished, he shouldered Simon’s heavy 
pike, and patiently paced, like a sentry, up and down beneath 
the dark archway, until he heard approaching footsteps. 

He called softly, “Is that thou, Simon?” 

“Ay, lad,” came the answer. 

Then laying down the pike and seizing his own cross¬ 
bow, Rene slipped quickly through the gate (which swung 
to behind him), and with noiseless footsteps fled swiftly 
across the bridge that spanned the moat, and disappeared 
in the black shadows of the forest beyond. 

Although the moon had risen, and was now well up in 
the eastern sky, so that the bridge was brightly illumined 
by it, Rene crossed unnoticed. As the gate was still firmly 
fastened when he returned, Simon failed to detect that it 
had been opened, but the old man spent some minutes look- 

[ 48 ] 


THE ESCAPE OF HAS-SE AND RENE 

ing for the lad in the archway before he became convinced 
that he was gone. Even then he considered that Rene was 
only endeavoring to tease him by thus slipping away, and 
muttering something about a boy being as full of mischief 
as a monkey, the soldier shouldered his pike and once more 
resumed his measured pacings up and down the archway. 

At the edge of the forest Rene stopped, drew from his 
bosom a note that he had written before leaving his room, 
and thrust it into the end of a cleft branch that he stuck 
into the ground near the end of the bridge. It was ad¬ 
dressed to his Excellency the Chevalier Laudonniere, Com¬ 
mandant of Fort Caroline, and its contents were as follows: 

“My dearly beloved Uncle, —Doubtless I am doing very 
wrong in thus leaving the fort and undertaking an important 
mission without thy sanction. It would seem, however, that 
circumstances are peculiarly favorable to my success in this 
matter, and I feared lest thou wouldst forbid the undertaking, 
out of a tender regard for my youth and inexperience. I go 
with the Indian lad Has-se, my friend, to the land of the Ala- 
chuas, on a quest for provisions for the fort. In case of my suc¬ 
cess I will return again at the end of a month, or shortly there¬ 
after. If I fail, and return no more, I still crave thy blessing, 
and to be remembered without abatement of the love thou hast 
ever extended to me. No person within the fort has aided me in 
this matter, nor has any one of thy garrison knowledge of my 
departure. 

“I remain, dear uncle, with sincerest respect and deepest 
love, thy nephew, Rene de Veaux. 


[ 49 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Having thus taken measures to inform his uncle of his 
departure and the mission on which he had set forth, Rene 
tightened his belt, shouldered his cross-bow, and turned 
into the dark pine forest. He made his way swiftly down 
the river-bank towards the appointed place of meeting, 
where he hoped to find Has-se still waiting for him, though 
it was already past the hour that the latter had mentioned. 
On the way he stopped and recovered the package of trin¬ 
kets that he had hidden in the forest that afternoon. 

As he neared the little stream on the bank of which the 
Indian lad had promised to await his coming, he uttered 
the cry of Hup-pe the great owl, which was the signal 
Has-se had taught him. To his joy it was immediately 
answered from a short distance in advance. In another 
moment he stood beside his friend, who without a word 
led him to where a canoe was hidden beneath some over¬ 
hanging branches. They stepped in, a few strong strokes 
of the paddles shot them clear of the creek, the bow of 
their craft was turned down-stream, and ere a word had 
been spoken between them, they were gliding swiftly down 
the glassy moonlit surface of the great river towards its 
mouth. 


[ 50 ] 





Chapter Six 


THE JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF FOOD 

S the paddles flashed brightly in the moonshine, and 
the light craft in which Rene and Has-se were 
seated moved swiftly and silently down the broad 
river, the former related to his companion all the particu¬ 
lars of his leaving the fort, and the delays that had de¬ 
tained him past their appointed time of meeting. As he 
concluded his story, Has-se, who until then had remained 
silent, said: 

“Thou hast done well, Ta-lah-lo-ko, and thy success at 
the outset is proof to me that the Great Spirit favors our 
undertaking.” 

Rene was not so convinced of this as his companion, 
for he was not at all certain that he was acting rightly; 
but he did not seek to disturb the other’s confidence, and 
only said: 


[ 51 ] 










THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


“Now tell me of thy escape, Has-se; for I must confess 
that I would have deemed it impossible, and am not a little 
concerned to find Fort Caroline such a sieve as thy easy 
leave-taking would seem to prove it.” 

Has-se was silent for some minutes, and then he said: 

“I would have no secrets from thee, my brother, and 
would gladly tell thee that thou askest; but I may not 
now, though at another time my tongue may be loosed. 
For the present I am bound not to reveal that which must 
needs be known were the manner of my escape described 
to thee.” 

Rene felt somewhat hurt at this answer, which seemed 

to imply a want of confidence in him; but he knew his 

✓ 

friend’s character too well to press the subject further, and 
so, smothering his curiosity, he turned the conversation to 
other things. 

After they had travelled for several miles down the 
river, Has-se turned the bow of the canoe into a sluggish 
bayou, that wound, with innumerable turnings, amid vast 
limitless expanses of salt-marsh. This stream led into 
others that formed such a maze that it seemed to Rene 
impossible that they should ever discover a way out of it. 

As Has-se kept the canoe to its course, never for an in¬ 
stant hesitating as to which way he should turn, they star¬ 
tled from their resting-places myriads of water-fowl and 

[ 52 ] 


THE JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF FOOD 


strange birds, that flew away with harsh notes of alarm. 
These were answered from the distant forest by the melan¬ 
choly howlings of wolves and the cries of other night-prowl¬ 
ing wild beasts, that sounded very fearful to Rene’s unac¬ 
customed ears. 

At length their craft was run ashore at the foot of a 
small shell mound that formed quite an elevation amid the 
wide levels of the marshes, and Has-se said they would 
rest there until sunrise. After hauling the canoe well up 
out of the water, he led the way to a small hut, thatched 
with palmetto-leaves, that stood halfway up the side of 
the mound. In it was piled a quantity of long gray moss, 
that formed a most acceptable bed to the tired boys; and 
throwing themselves down on it, they were in a few min¬ 
utes fast asleep. 

It seemed to Rene that he had but just fallen asleep 
when he was awakened by a light touch upon his forehead. 
Springing to his feet, he found Has-se standing smiling be¬ 
side him, and saw that the sun had already risen. Run¬ 
ning down to the beach, he bathed his face in the cool 
salt-water, used a handful of moss as a towel, and turned 
to the breakfast that Has-se had spent an hour in preparing. 

When Rene saw what a luxurious repast the ingenuity 
of the young Indian had provided, he opened his eyes wide 
in astonishment. He knew that a bag of parched corn and 

[ 53 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


several gourds of fresh water had been brought along, and 
upon this simple fare he had expected to break his fast. 
Now, in addition to the parched corn, he saw fish, oysters, 
eggs, and a vegetable, all smoking hot, cooked to a nicety, 
and temptingly spread on some freshly cut palm-leaves. 

The fish were mullet, that Has-se had speared from the 
canoe as they swam in the clear water. He had cleaned 
them, wrapped them in fresh, damp leaves, raked aside a 
portion of the fire that he had kindled when he first arose, 
buried them in the hot sand beneath it, and covered the 
spot with live coals. 

The oysters had also come from the water, in a great 
bunch that Has-se had just been able to lift and carry to the 
fire. To cook them he had simply placed the entire bunch 
on the coals, where they had roasted in their shells, which 
now gaped wide open, offering their contents to be eaten. 

The eggs were plover’s eggs, of which Has-se had dis¬ 
covered several nests among the tall marsh grass. They 
also had been roasted in the hot sand, from which the fire 
had been raked one side. 

The vegetable puzzled Rene considerably, for he had 
never seen its like, and knew not what to make of it. When 
he asked Has-se what it was, the latter laughed, with the 
soft, musical laugh peculiar to his people, and answered: 

Dost thou not know thy namesake, Ta-lah-lo-ko? It 

[ 54 ] 


THE JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF FOOD 


is the leaf bud of a young palm-tree, and with us Indians 
it takes the place of bread when we have neither a-chee” 
(the maize) 4 ‘nor koonti-katki” (the starch-root). 

It was indeed the tender leaf bud of the cabbage-palm, 
roasted in its own husk, and to Rene it tasted much like 
roasted chestnuts. 

From the shells on the beach he obtained a small quan¬ 
tity of salt, that had been left in them by the evaporated 
water of some former high tide. This he wanted for both 
his fish and his eggs. Then the two boys sat down to their 
feast, and ate and laughed and chatted, and enjoyed it so 
thoroughly that one of them at least thought nothing had 
ever tasted so good to him before. 

After breakfast, as there were no dishes to be washed, 
and nothing to be packed to carry with them, they were 
able to resume their journey at once. Until nearly noon 
they were hemmed in by the monotonous salt-marshes; 
then they crossed a wide sheet of open water, and entered 
the mouth of a wild, dark river that flowed into it from the 
west. The rest of that day and most of the next were occu¬ 
pied in the ascent of this river, which ever grew darker 
and narrower as they neared its source. They worked in¬ 
cessantly at the paddles, and made such speed that Has-se 
said they must certainly overtake his people before they 
reached the land of the Alachuas. 

[ 55 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Several times during these two days he ran the canoe 
ashore at places that his keen vision noted as having been 
the landing-places of other canoes. At each of these places 
he found the ashes and charred sticks that denoted recent 
camp-fires, and each time after making such a discovery he 
returned to Rene with a puzzled and thoughtful expression 
on his face. His companion noticed this, and finally in¬ 
quired the cause. 

“What troubles thee, my Has-se?” he asked. “Thy 
looks betoken a worriment of some kind. May I not share 
it with thee?” 

For a few minutes Has-se plied his paddle vigorously 
and in silence; then he said, more as if thinking aloud than 
in answer to Rene’s question, “Others besides ourselves are 
in pursuit of my people, and I fear they are enemies.” 

“What is thy reason for thus thinking?” 

“Because I find that each halting-place of Micco’s band 
has been carefully examined after their departure. I have 
also found the remains of several small but recent camp¬ 
fires on opposite sides of the river from theirs, and around 
them I find the traces of but two men. One of these men 
is very large, and he wears moccasins that were never 
made by my people. I fear they are enemies.” 

“But why should they be enemies?” asked Rene. “May 
they not be some of thy band left behind like thyself. Or 

[ 56 ] 



THE FISH WERE MULLET, THAT HAS-SE HAD SPEARED FROM THE CANOE 













THE JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF FOOD 


may not one of them be of thy tribe, and the other be one 
of the guests who attended the Feast of Ripe Corn?” 

“That is easily answered,” replied the young Indian. 
“If they were friends who for some reason had been left 
behind, and were now anxious to rejoin those whom they 
follow, they could have done so long since. Their fires 
burned at the same time with those of my people, and they 
have visited Micco’s camps before the ashes of his fires 
grew cold. Besides, in each case their own fires were care¬ 
fully hidden, so that they could not by any chance be seen 
by those who were in advance of them.” 

“Who, then, can be following so large a band, and for 
what purpose? Surely two cannot harm so many.” 

“That I know not, but I fear them to be of the out¬ 
lawed Seminoles.* If so, they are following my people for 
the purpose of picking up plunder, or of snatching the 
prize of a scalp—a thing they could only gain by a cow¬ 
ardly attack upon one defenceless, for they dare not seek 
it in open fight. Or it may be that one of them is he who 
has conceived a bitter enmity against those who never 
treated him with aught save kindness, and that he has 
joined with him another equally base.” 

* Before the Seminoles became the powerful tribe into which they finally 
grew they were a band of outlaws, composed of those who, for some good 
reason, had fled or been driven from the Creeks, Cherokees, Choctaws, Chicka- 
saws, and other tribes of the South.—K. M. 

[ 57 ] 



THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


At this thought Has-se’s bright face became clouded, 
and for some time he remained silent. Finally the silence 
was again broken by Rene, who asked, 

“Who are these Seminoles of whom thou dost speak 
thus contemptuously ?” 

“Seminole, in my language, signifies a runaway. They 
are a band of thieves, murderers, and other bad Indians, 
who have been driven out of my tribe and other tribes in 
the north. They have gradually increased in numbers, 
until now they call themselves a tribe. They are always at 
war with all men, and against them my people have de¬ 
clared a fight forever.” 

“And who is he of whom thou speakest so vaguely as 
having conceived an enmity unjustly against those who 
have harmed him not?” 

“One who should be well known to thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko. 
I speak of Chitta the Snake, whom I hope we may not en¬ 
counter.” 

“It will be the worse for him if we do encounter him, 
and he ventures to interfere with us,” replied Rene, hotly. 

“Nay, Ta-lah-lo-ko. I have a feeling within me which 
warns me that a meeting with the Snake will be a sad one 
for us,” answered Has-se, who, though as brave as a young 
lion, was inclined to be superstitious, as were all of his race. 

During this conversation the course of the canoe had 

[ 58 ] 


THE JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF FOOD 


been through a mere thread of a stream, and Rene now 
noticed that they were traversing the mazes of a dark 
swamp. The little stream connected a series of stagnant 
pools or bayous, and just as they came into the open water 
of one of these they caught a glimpse of another canoe 
leaving it on the opposite side. Even as they sighted it, it 
shot in among the trunks of a dense cypress forest, and dis¬ 
appeared. 



[ 59 ] 





Chapter Seven 

CHITTA BECOMES A SEMINOLE 

I N order to account for the presence of the canoe of 
which Rene and Has-se had caught a glimpse, as it 
darted in among the black shadows of the cypress forest 
in the great swamp, we must go back to the night that fol¬ 
lowed the Feast of Ripe Corn. 

After Chitta struck Has-se the blow that stretched him 
stunned and bleeding on the ground, he sprang into the 
forest, and gliding swiftly among the stately trunks of the 
solemn pines, made his way to the river. On its bank were 
drawn up many canoes, over which Chitta glanced hastily, 
but with a practised eye. In a moment he selected one 
that promised to combine lightness with speed, noiselessly 
launched it, and stepped into it. Grasping a paddle, he 
headed the stolen craft down the river, and was quickly 
buried in the mist that rose from its surface. 

[ 60 ] 


V 













CHITTA BECOMES A SEMINOLE 


As the unhappy lad pursued his solitary way down the 
river, neither knowing nor caring where he was going, so 
long as he placed distance between himself and those whom 
he knew would shortly search for him, his mind was filled 
with bitter reflections. He felt as though he hated all men, 
but especially Has-se and the white lad, who, he felt cer¬ 
tain, had taught the former the trick of wrestling, by 
means of which the games had been won. 

In destroying the great storehouse, with its winter’s 
supply of provisions of his tribe, his desire had not been so 
much to injure his own people as the white men, whom he 
knew were also dependent upon it for food, and of whom 
Has-se’s friend was one who would thus suffer. He had 
thought to escape detection after committing this wicked 
act, and that the fire would be supposed to be the result 
of an accident. This hope had been dashed by the unex¬ 
pected appearance of Has-se, who had overheard his mut¬ 
tered threats; and now he knew that he must be an out¬ 
law from his tribe forever, and that he would meet with a 
terrible punishment if he ever fell into their hands. 

Of all his bitter thoughts the one uppermost in his 
mind was the desire for revenge upon the gentle but high- 
spirited Has-se, who had not only won from him his cov¬ 
eted position, but against whom he had just struck a cruel 
and cowardly blow. 


[ 61 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


This is the way of the world, with white as well as with 
red men, and with boys and girls as well as with grown 
people. The more we injure a person, the more bitter do 
we feel against him; and the more we help and do good to 
him, the more kindly do we feel towards him. 

The deep scowl of hate had not left Chitta’s face when 
he ran his canoe ashore at the foot of the high bluff upon 
which Admiral Ribault had erected the stone pillar en¬ 
graved with the French coat of arms. Securing his canoe, 
and carefully concealing it from those who might pass on 
the river, Chitta made his way, by means of a narrow path 
through the tangled underbrush, to the summit. From 
here, by daylight, he would command a view of the river 
for miles in either direction, and would be able to detect 
the approach of any who should come in search of him 
while yet they were a long way off. 

As it was still night, and nothing was now to be seen 
except what was disclosed by the moon, the young Indian 
gathered together a small heap of moss and leaves, and 
drawing his robe over his head, flung himself down for a 
few hours’ sleep. 

Tired as he was, Chitta fell asleep almost instantly; 
but it was fully an hour after he had done so that a tall 
Indian rose, without a sound, from a clump of bushes, con¬ 
cealed by which he had all this time been watching the 

[ 62 ] 


CHITTA BECOMES A SEMINOLE 


motionless figure, and cautiously approached it. In his 
hands the tall Indian held a slender cord of twisted deer- 
hide, in one end of which was a noose. 

Without a movement that could arouse the lightest 
sleeper, he knelt by Chitta’s side, and with great dexterity 
managed to pass the noose over both his moccasined feet 
without disturbing his slumber. Drawing it as tightly as 
he dared, the tall Indian made the other end fast to a sap¬ 
ling, and sat down beside the sleeper to patiently await his 
awakening. 

At length, just as the sun was appearing in the far east, 
Chitta stirred uneasily, yawned, threw the blanket off from 
his head, and sat up. As his gaze fell upon the motionless 
figure beside him he uttered a sort of a gasping cry and 
sprang to his feet. He had hardly gained them before the 
noose did its work, and, tripped by it, he fell heavily to 
the ground. The tall Indian had also sprung to his feet, 
and now stood over the prostrate form of his victim, with 
a cruel smile lighting his dark features. 

Although wicked, Chitta was no coward, and finding 
himself thus trapped by an unknown enemy, he coolly 
asked, as he lay there, 

“Who art thou, and what have I done to thee that 
thou shouldst thus snare me like Pet-che?” (the pigeon). 

For answer the tall Indian said, “I will first tell thee 

[ 63 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


who thou art. Thy name is Chitta. Thou wast over¬ 
thrown but yesterday at the Feast of Ripe Corn by the 
lad who wears in his hair the To-fa chat-te” (red feather). 
“Thou art he who set fire to the storehouse of corn. Above 
all, thou art now, like myself, an outlaw forever from thy 
people; for know that I am that Seminole called Cat-sha” 
(the tiger). 

At this name Chitta gave a start of surprise, for though 
he had never before seen this Indian, the name of Cat-sha 
had been familiar to him from his childhood. It was one 
used by Indian mothers to frighten their unruly children, 
and quiet them into obedience, for it belonged to the crud¬ 
est, boldest, and most dreaded of all the outlawed Semi- 
noles. 

When still a youth, Cat-sha had, in a fit of ungovern¬ 
able anger, struck one of his young companions a blow, 
from the effects of which he died. For this he was driven 
from his tribe, and from that day he had been an outcast, 
whose hand was raised against all men, and who had be¬ 
come famed and dreaded for his deeds of savage cruelty. 
He had gathered together and become chief of that band of 
Seminoles of whom Has-se had told Rene, and under his 
leadership it was rapidly becoming a scourge to all the more 
peaceful inhabitants of that country. Knowing all this, it 
is no wonder that Chitta gave a start of surprise not 

[ 64 ] 


CHITTA BECOMES A SEMINOLE 


unmixed with alarm when he learned into whose hands 
he had fallen. 

Evidently gratified at the impression the mere mention 
of his name produced upon his prisoner, Cat-sha continued: 

“For many days have I watched the place of the pale¬ 
faces from beyond the great waters. I hate them, and 
would gladly drive them back into the sea whence they 
came. It was to learn their strength and discover in what 
manner they might be most successfully attacked that I 
came to this place. Thy people, at their feasting and danc¬ 
ing, have I also seen, and I had thought to do with my own 
hand the deed accomplished by thee last night. Since thou 
hast relieved me of that labor, I am inclined favorably to¬ 
wards thee, and will spare thy life upon condition that 
thou renounce forever thy own people and become one of 
my band.” 

“Become a Seminole!” exclaimed Chitta, in a tone ex¬ 
pressive of dislike and contempt. He had never thought, 
even amidst his wildest schemes for obtaining revenge upon 
those whom he considered his enemies, to make one of this 
band of outcasts. 

“Un-cah” (yes), answered Cat-sha, fiercely, angered by 
the tone of the other; “and why not? Art thou not al¬ 
ready an outlaw and a runaway from thy people? Having 
thus left them forever, to whom else canst thou turn save 

[ 65 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


to the brave and warlike Seminoles? Besides, if thou dost 
not join us, I will kill thee where thou liest, and none shall 
ever know thy fate. We Seminoles know but two kinds of 
men, those who are of us and those who are against us.” 

Thus Chitta had no choice left him between making 
one of the band of outlaws whose name was a term of re¬ 
proach among all good Indians, and meeting with a cruel 
death, from which he shrank. After a moment’s silence he 
made up his mind, and said, “So be it then, Cat-sha. From 
this hour call me Chitta the Seminole. From this hour the 
wisdom of the serpent shall be for them with whom he thus 
joins his fortunes, and henceforth his fangs shall be held 
ready for all who are their enemies.” 

Cat-sha’s dark face was again lighted by a cruel smile 
of triumph as he listened to these words, for he knew that 
one of Chitta’s nature would be a valuable addition to his 
band. He released his new recruit, helped him to his feet, 
embraced him, and said: 

“Chitta the Seminole, I welcome thee gladly to our 
number. The time will come when we shall have increased 
to a great and powerful tribe, and when the name given us 
by our enemies shall be honored of all men. Let us go.” 


[ 66 ] 





Chapter Eight 

ON THE TRAIL 

C AT-SHA, the Seminole chief, rejoiced greatly at hav¬ 
ing gained to his band so promising a young warrior 
as Chitta, who had so incurred the enmity of both 
the white men and his own people as to be obliged to fly 
from them for his life. 

After eating together a meal of dried venison that the 
elder produced from his wallet, the two Seminoles sat, con¬ 
cealed behind a thick cluster of cactus, watching the river 
for any signs of pursuit, and forming plans for future ac¬ 
tion. Cat-sha told Chitta that he had left his band in 
their most inaccessible stronghold among the bayous and 
deep morasses of the great Okeefenokee Swamp. He also 
said that, were it not for the presence of so large a num¬ 
ber of friendly Indians in the immediate vicinity of Fort 
Caroline, he should bring his warriors to attack it; for he 
had decided that the chances were in favor of his success in 
so doing. 


[ 67 ] 






THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


“Ha!” exclaimed Chitta, interrupting his chief at this 
point, “I may, in that case, be of service to thee, though 
I am as yet untried in battle.” Then he told Cat-sha a 
secret that was known to but few of his people, and which 
he himself had only discovered by accident. It was the 
same that Has-se had declined to confide to Rene when the 
latter questioned him as to the manner of his escape from 
the fort, and it was indeed a secret of the utmost value to 
enemies of the white men. 

Cat-sha listened attentively, and when Chitta had fin¬ 
ished he exclaimed, “Well done, my young brave! Thy 
serpent’s wisdom is already proving of value to us. What 
thou hast just told me makes clear our plan of attack upon 
this nest of pale-faces, and removes one of the chief diffi¬ 
culties in our way. Having this information, I regard the 
fort and all that it contains as already in our power. We 
have only to bide our time. Well may the white man 
tremble; for ere many days the tiger, guided by the ser¬ 
pent, will spring at his throat.” 

As they talked, their attention was directed to a dark 
moving mass floating down the river, close under its bank. 
Cat-sha soon pronounced it to be a fleet of canoes filled 
with people, and they watched them with eager curiosity. 

It was, indeed, the tribe from which Chitta had fled, 
moving, under the leadership of their chief Micco, towards 

[68 1 


ON THE TRAIL 


the land of the Alachuas, where food in abundance awaited 
them. At the outset of their journey they kept as close 
as possible under the river-bank, to avoid observation from 
the white men in Fort Caroline, who, they feared, might 
oppose their departure if they learned of it. It was not 
until they reached the bold bluff from the summit of which 
the two Seminoles watched their progress that they felt 
they were safe from the eyes of the fort, and might strike 
boldly out into the river. Here, aided by the full strength 
of the ebbing tide, they proceeded rapidly on their way to¬ 
wards its mouth. 

Seeing that the canoes which were thus passing beneath 
them contained, besides the warriors of the tribe, its women 
and children, and all of its movable property, Cat-sha con¬ 
cluded that it was a general movement of Micco’s people 
towards some distant place; and from the direction they 
were taking, he guessed that their destination was the fer¬ 
tile land of the Alachuas. 

9 

“This is thy doing,” he said to Chitta, who was regard¬ 
ing in bitter silence this departure of his people, towards 
whom he still felt drawn by old association in spite of what 
he had so recently done and become. “This is thy doing, 
my young Seminole. Thou hast destroyed their store of 
food, and thus compelled them to go in search of more. 
Now let us follow them, and when we have seen them at a 

[ 69 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


safe distance, we will bring my brave warriors to the attack 
of the white men shut up in yonder gopher hole.” 

When the departing tribe was nearly out of sight down 
the river, the two Seminoles, drawing Chitta’s stolen canoe 
from its hiding-place, started in pursuit. They so arranged 
their own movements that they ran no chance of discovery 
from those in advance of them, though they were never far 
behind. They carefully examined each camping-place of 
the moving tribe, to assure themselves that no person was 
left behind who might discover them, and they always 
placed their own little camp so that it should be entirely 
concealed from those whom they followed. 

Cat-sha was much pleased to find that in thus following 
Micco’s tribe he was also journeying in the direction of his 
own band, who awaited him in the depths of the great 
swamp. He even meditated an attack upon his Indian foes 
as they travelled, with their women, children, and baggage, 
before leading his warriors back to Fort Caroline. 

It was these two, then, whose traces had so puzzled 
Has-se as he and Rene de Veaux in turn followed them, 
and it was their canoe of which the two boys caught a 
fleeting glimpse in the great swamp. 

“Look!” exclaimed Has-se, whose keen eye was the first 
to detect the vanishing canoe. “These are either my own 
people, whom we have thus overtaken, or those whom we 

[ 70 ] 



THIS IS THY DOING,” HE SAID TO C HITT A, WHO WAS REGARDING IN BITTER SILENCE THIS DEPARTURE OF 

HIS PEOPLE 







ON THE TRAIL 


know to be in close pursuit of them. Here is work for us, 
Ta-lah-lo-ko, or rather for me, for it is my duty to dis¬ 
cover the meaning of this pursuit, and warn my people if 
danger is near them, while I am also bound to keep thee as 
far as possible from all harm.” 

“Nonsense, Has-se! It is well for thee to keep me out 
of danger so long as thou keepest from it thyself; but since 
I have thrown my fortunes with thine, thy friends are my 
friends, thy enemies are my enemies, and thy safety or 
danger is mine to share with thee. So say no more of my 
safety, save as it concerns thine as well, but lead on as 
thou thinkest best, and I will follow thee as truly as though 
I were enlisted beneath thy banner. Not that I suppose 
you Indians have such things as banners, or understand 
their significance; but thou mightst well have them, and 
be none the worse for the having.” 

Although Has-se made no reply to this brave speech, he 
accepted it as an evidence of true friendship, and gave 
Rene a grateful smile, which the latter understood to mean, 
“Very well, Ta-lah-lo-ko, I accept thy offer of service as 
heartily as thou dost tender it.” 

Under ordinary circumstances Has-se’s Indian instinct 
would not have permitted him to cross the open water of 
the bayou in broad daylight when he suspected that an 
enemy might be lying in wait for him on its farther side. 

[ 71 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


On this occasion, however, it seemed so impossible that the 
occupants of the canoe, of which he had caught but the 
merest glimpse, should have looked back and detected them 
at the same instant, that he decided to push on, and if pos¬ 
sible discover more of it. So he and Rene crossed the open 
water as quickly and with as little noise as possible, and as 
they approached its opposite side, Has-se gazed keenly into 
the dark lanes between the moss-hung cypresses. He neither 
saw nor heard anything to cause him alarm, and congratu¬ 
lating themselves that they had not been discovered, the 
boys pushed on over the waters of another extremely nar¬ 
row stream. 

This, to Rene’s surprise, flowed, though with an almost 
imperceptible current, in the direction they were taking, or 
exactly opposite to that of the river they had ascended 
from the salt-marshes of the east. As Has-se had requested 
him to keep absolute silence, and on no account to speak, 
he restrained his curiosity for the present, but determined 
to seek an explanation of this phenomenon when an oppor¬ 
tunity should offer. 

He afterwards discovered that the river they had as¬ 
cended, and that they were now descending, both rose in 
the great swamp, and that their headwaters were connected 
by navigable streams, but that while one flowed east into 
the Atlantic, the other flowed west into the Gulf of Mexico. 

[ 72 ] 


ON THE TRAIL 


In thus deeming themselves undiscovered by those in 
advance of them, the boys made an almost fatal mistake. 
The wily Cat-sha, accustomed to look for danger behind 
every tree, and almost expecting to hear the war-cry of his 
enemies in every breath of wind, knew better than to leave 
open waters without looking behind as he did so. On this 
occasion the quick glance thrown backward at the instant 
his canoe entered the shadows of the cypresses detected the 
gleam of a paddle, and he knew at once that he and Chitta 
were being followed, even as they were following Micco and 
his people. 

He said nothing until they were safely within the shad¬ 
ows, when he told Chitta of his discovery. The latter ad¬ 
vised going into hiding at once, and awaiting the approach 
of their unknown pursuers; but the more experienced Cat- 
sha said no, for if they had also been discovered, that was 
exactly what they would be expected to do, and their pur¬ 
suers would exercise more than a usual amount of caution 
in approaching that point. Once safely past it they would 
advance more boldly, thinking that their own presence had 
been undetected. He therefore continued on down the little 
stream for nearly a mile, until they reached a point where 
the channel was so seriously obstructed by overhanging 
vines and stranded driftwood that only a passage barely 
wide enough for a single canoe was left open. 

[ 73 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Here they drew their canoe from the water and carefully 
concealed it. Then they took positions one on each side 
of the stream; and, hidden behind screens of tangled vines, 
with arrows held ready to be fitted to their bow-strings, 
they patiently awaited the coming of their unknown pursuers. 

Towards this well-planned trap, that seemed to insure 
their destruction, Rene and Has-se advanced, cautiously, 
to be sure, but without a warning of what awaited them. 
At length they had approached within a quarter of a mile 
of the ambush, and one would have said that nothing could 
prevent their falling into it. 

At this point Has-se whispered, “Keep wide open thy 
ears as well as thy eyes, Ta-lah-lo-ko ”; and Rene answered 
also in a whisper: 

“They are already so wide open that not the faintest 
hum of a gnat escapes them. What’s that?” 

The sudden snapping of a twig by some bird or small 
animal caused them to start, and listen for a moment with 
uplifted paddles. The canoe thus left to itself, unguided, 
drifted aside, and hung for an instant upon the upraised end 
of a sunken log. Rene reached his hand down into the water 
to push it clear of the obstruction, but suddenly withdrew 
it with a suppressed cry of pain and fright. At the same 
moment a large water-snake, of the kind known as a mocca¬ 
sin, glided away, and disappeared beneath the slimy bank. 

[ 74 ] 



A TRAP AVOIDED AND FRIENDS DISCOVERED 

A T Rene’s cry, suppressed though it was, Has-se 
turned quickly, and in time to see the moccasin 
glide away through the water. He also noted the 
spot of blood on his companion’s finger, at which the latter 
was gazing with a look of horror. 

Without a word the young Indian sprang to Rene’s side, 
drew the little sharp-pointed dagger from its sheath, and 
firmly but deliberately enlarged with it the minute wound 
made by the fangs of the snake, until the blood flowed 
freely from it; then raising the hand to his own mouth, 
he sucked all that was possible of the poisoned blood from 
the wound, stopping several times during the operation to 
rinse his mouth with water. 

When this was done he took a handful of slimy river 
mud and placed it over the wounded place, bidding his 

[ 75 ] 


































THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


friend hold it there. Then seizing his paddle, he turned 
the bow of the canoe upstream in the direction from which 
they had come. He paddled back to a small lagoon that 
emptied into the stream, and in which he had noticed a 
peculiar species of water-lily growing as they passed it on 
their way down. Pulling a handful of these up by the 
roots, he selected one of the bulbs attached to them, pounded 
it until it was a mass of fibre, and washing the river mud 
from the wounded hand, he replaced it with this. 

The hand had already swollen and become very painful, 
but the application of the bruised lily-root acted so like a 
charm that Rene’s face showed an instant sense of relief, 
and he expressed his gratitude to Has-se. 

“It is nothing to do,” replied the other. “It is but the 
remedy of my people for such things.” Then he added, 
with a sort of pride: 

“The pale-faces are wise in many matters that we poor 
red men know nothing of; but we have at least learned that 
for every evil there is a remedy close at hand, and that 
wherever poisonous serpents are found there also grows a 
plant that will render their poison harmless. In a short 
time thy hand will be as sound as before it laid hold of 
Chitta-wewa, the great water-snake.” 

“’Tis marvellous!” exclaimed Rene; “and if thou 
wouldst return with me to France, bringing with thee a 

[ 76 ] 


A TRAP AVOIDED 


few of these simples and thy knowledge of their applica¬ 
tion, thou wouldst become a great medicine-man and obtain 
much honor of my people.” 

Has-se only shook his head and smiled at this sugges¬ 
tion; then he said, 

“For a time thou must lie perfectly quiet, and keep that 
upon thy hand wet with cool water. Meantime I will carry 
out a plan of which I have just conceived the idea. Near 
by, from the head of this lagoon, there runs a narrow trail 
by which a great bend in the stream is cut off, and a point 
much lower down upon it is reached. If thou wilt remain 
here and nurse thy hand, I will cross to the lower stream 
by this trail, and it may be that I will thus gain more 
speedy information concerning those whom we follow.” 

Rene at once agreed to this plan, and was soon left 
alone to nurse his hand and meditate upon his present 
strange position. From his savage surroundings his thoughts 

ran back to the uncle whom he had left in Fort Caroline 

% 

to battle with sickness, and possibly with starvation and 
the upbraidings of his own men. The boy’s heart was full 
of tenderness for the brave old soldier who had so promptly 
assumed the part of a father towards him; and had he 
not been restrained by the consciousness of the vital im¬ 
portance of the mission he had undertaken, he would have 
been inclined to return at once and share whatever trials 

[77 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


were besetting the chevalier. From him the boy’s thoughts 
sped to France and the old chateau in which he was born. 
He almost laughed aloud as he imagined the look of con¬ 
sternation with which old Frangois would regard him if he 
could now see him, lying alone in a fragile craft, such as the 
old servant had never imagined, in the midst of a terrible 
wilderness of great moss-hung trees, queer-looking plants, 
black waters, and blacker mud. 

From these reveries he was suddenly startled by the 
sound of a slight splash in the water and a subdued human 
voice. Raising his head very cautiously above the side of 
the canoe, Rene caught a glimpse, at the mouth of the little 
lagoon in which his own craft was concealed, of another 
canoe, in which were seated two Indians. It was headed 
upstream, but its occupants had paused in their paddling, 
and from their gestures were evidently considering the ex¬ 
ploration of the very place in which he lay hidden from 
them. In one of them Rene recognized the unwelcome face 
of Chitta the Snake, but the other he had never before seen. 

With a loudly beating heart and almost without breath¬ 
ing he watched them, thankful enough for the shelter of 
broad lily-leaves that raised their green barrier in front of 
him. He was fully conscious that upon the result of the 
conversation the two were holding, in such low tones that 
he could not distinguish a word, depended his own fate. 

[ 78 ] 


A TRAP AVOIDED 


He knew, from what Has-se had told him, that Chitta re¬ 
garded him as an enemy, and he knew also that for his 
enemies an Indian reserves but one fate, and will kill them 
if he can. 

Thus it was with the feeling that he had escaped a 
mortal peril, and a long-drawn sigh of relief, that he saw 
the discussion come to an end, and the strange canoe con¬ 
tinue on its course upstream. It disappeared in the direc¬ 
tion from which he and Has-se had come before encountering 
the moccasin. Then he became feverishly impatient to 
leave a place that seemed so full of danger, and he longed 
eagerly for Has-se’s return. 

Although Rene watched anxiously for Has-se, he also 
cast frequent glances towards the stream, fearful lest Chitta 
and his companion should again appear. Thus he was not 
looking when his friend emerged from the forest, and did 
not hear the light tread of his moccasined feet. Nor was 
he aware of any presence near him, until a low laugh, which 
so startled him that he almost upset the canoe, gave the 
first hint of his friend’s return. 

“Oh, Has-se!” he exclaimed, in a whisper rendered 
hoarse by his excitement, “glad am I to see thee once 
more. Chitta is in pursuit of us, and with him is as evil¬ 
looking an Indian as ever I saw, but large and powerful 
withal.” 


[ 79 ] 


I 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 

Then he related the whole incident of the appearance 
of the strange canoe, to which Has-se listened with grave 
attention. 

When Rene had finished he said, “Has-se also has some¬ 
thing to tell. Far down the river, on the side opposite the 
end of the trail, he heard the sound of many voices, and he 
knows his people are there. Let us go to them.” 

“But if we venture out into the stream, will not Chitta 
and the one with him see us?” 

“If they do not until we float on the river, they must 
prove themselves swifter than Hu-la-lah” (the wind) “to 
catch us before we reach friends. How is thy hand? Is 
the sting of Chitta-wewa still painful?” 

“Oh! my hand? Why, no; I had no thought of it 
until now. Thanks to thy application, the pain and the 
swelling seem alike to have been removed.” 

“Then let us go, and if it comes to meeting Chitta, we 
will see if we cannot render his sting as harmless as that 
of his namesake Chitta-wewa.” 

Very cautiously the two boys paddled their canoe out 
from the lagoon, and headed it down the narrow river to¬ 
wards the place where they hoped to find friends. 

Having reached the stream in safety, they were about 
to congratulate each other on their good-fortune, when sud¬ 
denly a wild scream, such as is made by an enraged 

[ 80 ] 


A TRAP AVOIDED 

panther, came ringing down through the dark forest glade 
behind them. 

“It is the yell of Cat-sha the Tiger, chief of the Semi- 
noles!” cried Has-se. “For the Snake, with the Tiger to 
aid him, we are no match. If those white arms of thine 
have strength in them, now is the time to prove it, Ta-lah- 
lo-ko.” 

With this the two boys bent over their paddles, and 
plied them with such energy that their light craft fairly 
hissed through the water, and flew past the gray, motion¬ 
less columns of the cypresses. Not far behind came their 
pursuers, also straining every muscle, and already exulting 
over the prize that was so nearly within their grasp. 

Cat-sha and Chitta had become impatient of waiting in 
their ambush for those who failed to come, but who they 
knew had been following them, and they finally decided to 
cautiously retrace their course in order to learn what had 
become of them. At the mouth of the lagoon in which 
Rene had awaited Has-se’s return they paused, undecided, 
for a moment. From the very trail taken by Has-se there 
branched another, which led to the distant Seminole fast¬ 
ness in the heart of the great swamp. Cat-sha at first 
thought they would do well to examine this trail; for if it 
should prove to be some of his own band of whose canoe 
he had caught a glimpse, he would surely discover traces 

[ 81 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


of them here. Chitta, however, said that those who had 
followed them might chance to pass on unnoticed while 
they were in the lagoon. It would be time enough to 
examine the trail after they had been back as far as the 
bayou, and made certain that nobody was between them 
and it. Happily for Rene de Veaux, this counsel had pre¬ 
vailed, and they had gone on up the stream. 

It was while on their return from the bayou that they 
had caught sight of the two boys just leaving the lagoon, 

and that Cat-sha had uttered his war-cry with such star- 

% 

tling effect. 

Even at the distance they were, both he and Chitta had 
seen the Flamingo Feather braided in Has-se’s hair, and 
had also recognized the peculiar costume worn by him whom 
they knew as the son of the great white chief. 

Faster and faster flew the two canoes in their race of 
life or death down the narrow stream. That of the two 
boys was the lighter, but the other, impelled by the power¬ 
ful strokes of the gigantic Cat-sha, kept pace with it from 
the outset, and at length began slowly to gain upon it. Foot 
by foot, closer and closer, it came, and as the labored breath 
of the panting boys came shorter and quicker, while the 
perspiration rolled in great beads from their faces, it seemed 
as though they were moving at a snail’s pace, and they 
knew that the unequal struggle could not last much longer. 

[ 82 ] 


A TRAP AVOIDED 


Suddenly Has-se paused from his labor for an instant, 
and placing a hand to his mouth, uttered a long, tremulous 
cry, so wild and shrill that it roused the forest echoes for 
miles around. 

He had hardly resumed his paddle, after a quick back¬ 
ward glance that showed the other canoe to be fearfully 
near them, when his cry was answered by one precisely 
similar, uttered only a short distance ahead of them. 

In another minute an arrow from behind whizzed so 
close to Has-se’s head that it cut the red feather from his 
hair, and passing on, it buried itself in Rene’s shoulder. 
At the same instant a canoe filled with Micco’s warriors 
appeared around a point ahead of them, and the two hunted 
and exhausted boys, seeing it, knew they were saved. 


[ 83 ] 



Chapter Ten 

MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 

D URING the progress of the exciting events related 
in the preceding chapters, troublous times had come 
to Fort Caroline, on the banks of the Great River 
of May. Above it hung the three black clouds of starva¬ 
tion, mutiny, and war. 

Before the sudden departure of Rene de Veaux on his 
journey in search of food, a party of ten men had been 
sent out by Laudonniere to explore the country to the 
south of the fort, and discover, if possible, the mountains 
of gold that were supposed to exist there. For more than a 
month they had traversed broad sand barrens, crossed deep 
rivers, and been lost in the mazes of dark swamps. They 
had discovered rare birds of gorgeous plumage, strange and 
beautiful flowers, and many wild animals whose nature was 
unknown to them, but no trace of the gold of which they 
were in search. 


[ 84 ] 


















MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 


Keenly disappointed, ragged, sick, and hungry, they at 
length came to a village of Indians who had never seen nor 
heard of white men, and who fled at their approach. The 
famished soldiers rushed into the lodges, took whatever 
they could find to eat, and, building a fire, proceeded to 
cook for themselves a feast. While they were thus busy, 
their carelessly tended fire crept to one of the tinder-like 
palmetto lodges, and in a few minutes more the whole vil¬ 
lage was in flames. 

From their hiding-places in the surrounding forest, the 
savages, witnessing what they supposed to be a wanton de¬ 
struction of their property, discharged a cloud of arrows at 
the white men, by which one was killed and several were 
wounded. Flying from the place, the wretched soldiers 
started for Fort Caroline, followed by their unseen foes, 
from whom they did not escape until four more had paid 
with their lives for their carelessness. When, some days 
later, the five miserable survivors of this unfortunate ex¬ 
pedition dragged themselves into Fort Caroline, it was only 
to bring the news of their failure to find gold, of the death 
of their comrades, and of the fact that they had stirred up 
all the southern Indians to war upon the whites. 

Laudonniere, who had taken Rene’s departure keenly 
to heart, and who had grieved over the lad as though he 
were lost to him, had also suffered great anxiety on account 

[ 85 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


of the scarcity of provisions within the fort. Now, added 
to these troubles, came these latest tidings of ill, and, as a 
result, the fever against which he was struggling overcame 
him, and he was confined to his bed. 

To many within Fort Caroline the serious illness of their 
chief brought great sorrow; but others, seeing in it an op¬ 
portunity for the carrying out of their own plans, rejoiced 
accordingly. These others were those who were dissatis¬ 
fied with the present aspect of affairs, and despairing of a 
change for the better while remaining at Fort Caroline, 
were secretly planning a mutiny. Its object was to compel 
Laudonniere to abandon the fort and the New World, and 
to lead them back to France in a ship which they proposed 
to build from such materials as they had at hand. 

The mutineers were headed by no less a person than 
Rene’s old friend Simon the armorer. He had always 
been inclined to grumble and growl, and his feelings had 
been deeply wounded by being arrested, confined in the 
guard-house for one day, and finally discharged (because of 
the necessity for his services), with a sharp reprimand from 
Laudonniere for having, though unconsciously, aided Rene’s 
departure. The old growler had always secretly sided with 
the mutineers, and after this he openly took part with 
them, and soon became their leader. 

It thus happened that as the good Le Moyne, who, 

[ 86 ] 


MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 


during the illness of Laudonniere and most of the other of¬ 
ficers, was acting as lieutenant in command of the fort, sat 
writing one morning, there came to him Simon the ar¬ 
morer, followed by most of the garrison. The old soldier 
gave a military salute, which Le Moyne returned, and then 
he said, 

“We have come, Master Le Moyne, these good men 
here and I, to make certain propositions that we desire 
should be laid before his Excellency the commandant.’’ 

“Well,” said Le Moyne, in a tone of mild surprise, 
“have to them without further delay, and return quickly 
to thy duties.” 

“It may be,” replied Simon, “that we will return not 
to them at all; at least not in the wise meant by thy use 
of the word. We are starving.” 

“Ye have not overmuch to eat, ’tis true,” said Le 
Moyne; “but we hope for better things.” 

“We are dying of the fever.” 

“To a certain extent this is also true.” 

“We are threatened by an enemy.” 

“And have stout walls behind which to defend our¬ 
selves.” 

“We are abandoned and forgotten, and our bodies will 
rot in this place ere succor is sent us.” 

“Admiral Jean Ribault is never the man to abandon or 

[ 87 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


forget those to whom he has promised succor,’’ replied the 
artist, with a flush of color in his pale cheeks. 

“This country yields no gold, and is unfitted for human 
residence.” 

“Yet Micco’s people live and thrive here, and have a 
plenty of the best raised from its soil. As for gold, the 
mere fact that it has not yet been discovered proves noth¬ 
ing against its existence.” 

Without replying to this, Simon continued: “These be 
our grievances, and to remedy them we pray his Excellency 
to allow us to construct here as speedily as may be a vessel 
such as will suffice to carry us back whence we came. We 
also pray that he will in person lead us from this evil place 
back to our own country, always supposing that his health 

permits.” 

The good Le Moyne was much disturbed by this bold 
proposal, and attempted to persuade the men to abandon 
their wild scheme and return to their duties, awaiting pa¬ 
tiently meantime the arrival of the promised reinforcements 
from France. They insisted, however, that they would not 
take their leave of him without hearing from the com¬ 
mandant himself, and Le Moyne was finally forced to 
comply with their request, and deliver their message to 
Laudonniere. 

Upon receiving a report of what had occurred, the 

[ 88 ] 


MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 


chevalier was highly indignant; and but for the extreme 
weakness which the fever had laid upon him, he would 
have arisen and gone out to the mutineers. As this was 
impossible, he sent answer to them that he could not for a 
moment consider their proposal. He and they had been 
sent to take and hold possession of that country by their 
King, and here he should remain until he received other in¬ 
structions from the same source. As for them, his orders 
were that they instantly resume their duties, and use all 
diligence in strengthening the fort, and preparing for an 
attack which might at any moment be made upon it by the 
savages from the south. 

When Le Moyne returned to the soldiers with this an¬ 
swer, Simon, still acting as spokesman for the rest, said: 

“Thy message from the commandant is much as we ex¬ 
pected it would be, Master Le Moyne, and in return thou 
wilt kindly take to him word again that for the preserva¬ 
tion of our lives we shall certainly exert ourselves to repel 
any attack that may be made against the fort. At the 
same time we shall as certainly take active measures to in¬ 
sure our own and his speedy departure from this unhappy 
country, in which we have thus far gained naught but ill.” 

With this speech, and once more giving Le Moyne a 
stiff military salute, the old soldier turned and marched 
away, followed by the rest of the mutineers. 

[ 89 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


As soon as he was once more alone, Le Moyne made his 
report to Laudonniere, and so excited did the sick man 
become on hearing it that his fever took a sudden turn for 
the worse, and he was soon raving deliriously, and calling 
upon Rene de Veaux not to desert him for his enemies the 
Indians. 

Meantime matters proceeded so rapidly outside that 
the keel of a small vessel in which the mutineers hoped to 
cross the ocean to their own country was laid that very 
day, and the labor of collecting suitable material for ship¬ 
building was entered upon with the fierce energy of men 
who believed they were working to save their lives. 

So actively did this work proceed that in less than a 
month the hull of the little vessel was completed, and she 
stood ready for launching. 

At this time parties were out in several directions from 
the fort,*some securing pitch from the pine forests for use 
upon the vessel, others searching the cypress swamps for 
suitable spars, and still others making unskilled efforts to 
secure a supply of game and fish for present use, and for 
salting down to provision their ship during her proposed 
voyage. These last were the most unsuccessful of all who 
were out, owing to their limited knowledge of wood-craft. 
They were at the same time the most anxious to succeed 
in their quest; for the supply of corn in the fort was now 

[ 90 ] 


MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 


wholly exhausted, and the garrison was subsisting almost 
entirely upon fish and the leaf buds of the cabbage palm, 
which they had discovered how to prepare. 

On the day that marked a month from the date of Rene 
de Veaux’s departure, the working parties whose duties 
took them into the forest were suddenly attacked by great 
numbers of savages, and driven in the greatest confusion 
back to the fort, after sustaining severe losses in killed and 
wounded. The advance of the savages, who followed them 
closely, even up to the very gates, was only checked by a 
heavy fire of artillery, which so alarmed them that they 
fled in a panic to the shelter of the forest, nor stopped until 
they had retreated to a most respectful distance. 

Towards evening a body of the enemy were seen gath¬ 
ered in plain view on and about the great shell mound upon 
which the Feast of Ripe Corn had been held some weeks 
before. The sight of them so enraged Simon the armorer, 
who was now generally recognized as commandant, that 
he determined to sally forth at the head of a strong party 
and bring about a decisive battle, which he had no doubt 
would result in a victory for the whites. 

Although he could muster but about fifty able-bodied 
men, so sadly had fever and lack of proper food ravaged 
the garrison, the old soldier, who held the fighting qualities 
of the savages in great contempt, deemed this number amply 

[ 91 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


sufficient for his purpose, and marched forth confidently at 
their head. They met with no enemy until they had nearly 
reached the shell mound, and were preparing to charge 
upon the savages, who still remained gathered about it. 

Suddenly the whites found themselves completely sur¬ 
rounded by a great number of Indians, who seemed to 
spring, as though by magic, from every bush and from be¬ 
hind every tree. So secretly had their approach been made 
that the first notice Simon and those with him had of the 
ambush into which they had fallen, was a vast discharge of 
arrows and spears into their ranks. These were accom¬ 
panied by such blood-curdling yells that they affected the 
white men almost as fearfully as the roar of their own ar¬ 
tillery had terrified the savages in the morning. 

Rallying from their first panic, they made a desperate 
attempt to force their way back to the fort, and struggled 
like men who knew their lives were at stake. In spite, 
however, of their bravery and the terrible execution of 
their swords, they were being overpowered by numbers, 
and it seemed impossible that a single one of them should 
escape with his life. 

As, completely exhausted by the terrible and unequal 
struggle, they were about giving way to despair, a most 
welcome and unexpected diversion was made in their favor. 
A great cry arose beyond the line of savages, and they 

[ 92 ] 



SUDDENLY THE WHITES FOUND THEMSELVES SURROUNDED 









MUTINY AT FORT CAROLINE 


were so suddenly and fiercely attacked in the rear by an 
unseen foe that they fled in the utmost terror in all direc- 

•r 

tions. 

Not even waiting to learn who had lent them this most 
timely aid, the soldiers hastened to regain the fort and seek 
shelter behind its ponderous gates. 

As they did so, they heard, or thought they heard, from 
the depths of the forest, a clear voice crying, “France to 
the Rescue! France to the Rescue!” and they marvelled 
greatly thereat. 


[ 93 ] 



Chapter Eleven 
rene’s return 


W HEN Rene de Veaux sank down in the bottom 
of the canoe, completely exhausted by his labors 
at the paddle, and by the pain of Chitta’s arrow 
that quivered in his shoulder, he became almost uncon¬ 
scious, and only dimly realized that they had escaped from 
their cruel pursuers. Then he had a vague knowledge of 
being lifted from the canoe and borne away, very gently, 
he knew nor cared not whither, and then he seemed to fall 
asleep. When he again awoke to an interest in his sur¬ 
roundings, he felt that a soft hand was smoothing his brow, 
and the air was cooled by a delicious sweet-scented breeze. 
Opening his eyes, he saw bending over him, and fanning 
him with a fan woven of fragrant grasses, Has-se’s beauti¬ 
ful sister Nethla. 

As he attempted to rise she gently restrained him, and bid¬ 
ding him lie still for a moment, she left the lodge. Directly 

[ 94 ] 


















RENE'S RETURN 


afterwards she returned, accompanied by Has-se, whose 
face was radiant with joy at seeing his friend once more, 
and finding him so much better than he had dared hope. 

The Indian lad told Rene that those who came so 
promptly to their rescue upon hearing his call had stopped 
for a minute upon reaching them to learn who their pur¬ 
suers were, and how many there were of them. Cat-sha 
and Chitta had taken instant advantage of this delay to 
paddle swiftly upstream and disappear in the depths of the 
great swamp, where it was impossible to track them, and 
so had escaped. 

The fortunate meeting between the boys and their 
friends was owing to a scarcity of provisions among Micco’s 
followers, which had obliged them to remain in camp for 
two days, while the hunters went in pursuit of game to re¬ 
plenish the larder. 

The next evening, thanks to the wonderful healing 
properties of the herbs applied by Nethla to his wound, 
Rene was able to recline on a soft couch of furs in front of 
the chief’s lodge, near a great fire, and enjoy with the rest 
the feast of venison, wild turkey, and bear meat that had 
been prepared to celebrate the successful return of the 
hunters. 

As he lay there, thoroughly enjoying the feast and the 
novelty of the scene, Has-se came to him and placed in his 

[ 95 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


hand the Flamingo Feather that had been cut from his hair 
on the day before by Chitta’s arrow. As he did so he said: 
“This I give to thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko, as a token of friendship 
forever between us, and for thee to keep in memory of this 
day. It is a token such as may only be exchanged between 
chiefs or the sons of chiefs; and if at any time it shall be 
sent to me or any of my people in thy name, whatever re¬ 
quest comes with it from thee must be granted even at the 
cost of life. Keep the emblem hidden, and wear it not, for 
that may only be done by the chiefs of my tribe, or those 
who are sons of chiefs.” 

As he took the precious feather, and thanked Has-se 
warmly for the gift and its assurance of friendship, Rene 
noted with surprise that attached to it was a slender gold 
chain fastening a golden pin of strange and exquisite make. 
It was by these that the feather had been confined in 
Has-se’s hair, and it was the cutting of this chain by Chitta’s 
arrow that had loosened it. 

In answer to Rene’s inquiries Has-se explained that these 
ornaments came from a distant country in the direction of 
the setting sun, where gold was like the sands on the shores 
of the great salt waters, and whence they had reached his 
tribe through the hands of many traders.* 

* Has-se doubtless referred to Mexico, which was known by the Indians 
as “The Land of Gold.”—K. M. 

[ 96 ] 


RENE'S RETURN 


At sunrise on the following morning the journey to¬ 
wards the land of the Alachuas was resumed, and Rene 
occupied with Nethla a canoe that was paddled by Has-se 
and Yah-chi-la-ne (the Eagle), Nethla’s young warrior hus¬ 
band. The stream down which they floated soon left the 
great swamp and widened into a broad river, the high 
banks of which were covered with the most luxuriant vege¬ 
tation and beautiful flowers. The Indians called it With- 
lacoochee, but the Spaniards afterwards changed its name 
to San Juanita (pronounced San Wawneeta), or Little St. 
John, from which in these days it has come to be known as 
the Suwanee. 

The river contained great numbers of alligators, of 
which, when they went into camp, the Indians killed many, 
for the sake of the valuable oil that was to be extracted 
from the fat embedded in the joints of their tails. 

On the second day after Rene and Has-se joined them 
the tribe reached the land of the Alachuas, a people speak¬ 
ing the same language with themselves, and bound to them 
by closest ties of friendship. It was a land of broad savan¬ 
nas, studded with groves of magnolia and oak trees, and 
abounding in springs of the purest water. The clear streams 
running from these great springs teemed with the finest 
fish, and the country watered by them was overrun with 
game of every variety. It was indeed a land of plenty, and 

[ 97 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


from its peace-loving and hospitable dwellers the visitors 
from the far East received a warm welcome. 

On the very day of their arrival they selected the site 
for the camp, which they expected to occupy for some 
months. It was in the midst ofi a grand oak grove, sur¬ 
rounding a crystal spring; and before sunset the slightly 
built lodges had sprung up as though by magic among its 
trees, the sparks from the camp-fires glanced like myriads 
of fire-flies among the moss-hung branches, and the tribe 
was at home. 

Rene de Veaux, as became his rank, was invited to oc¬ 
cupy the lodge of Micco the chief, in which he shared the 
bear-skin couch of his friend the chief’s son and bow-bearer. 
Here, during the week that his wound took to heal com¬ 
pletely, he rested as happily as though the world contained 
no cares or anxieties. He spent most of this time in adding 
to his knowledge of the Indian language, with which, with 
Has-se and the beautiful Nethla as teachers, he quickly 
became familiar. Thanks to the glowing descriptions of the 
power and glory of the white men given by his friends, 
Rene found himself treated with distinguished considera¬ 
tion by the Alachuas, who regarded him with the greatest 
interest and curiosity. He was always spoken of by them 
as the young white chief, and his slightest wishes were 
gratified as soon as he made them known. 

[ 98 ] 


RENE’S RETURN 

At the end of a week Rene felt sufficiently strong and 
well to set about accomplishing the mission that had brought 
him to this pleasant country. Accordingly, he sought an 
interview with the Alachua chief, and displayed before him 
the trinkets contained in the package that he had so care¬ 
fully brought with him from Fort Caroline. As the chief 
gazed with delight and amazement at what he regarded as 
a most wonderful treasure, but what in reality was only a 
lot of knives, hatchets, mirrors, and fish-hooks, Rene ex¬ 
plained to him the distress of the white men in Fort Caro¬ 
line, caused by the destruction of their winter’s supply of 
provisions. He then said that if the chief would, out of 
the abundance of the Alachuas, give him twelve canoe-loads 
of corn, and send warriors enough to conduct them in 
safety to the white man’s fort on the great river of the 
East, he would give him the package of trinkets there dis¬ 
played, and would promise, in the name of his uncle the 
great white chief, a package of equal size and value for 
each canoe-load of provisions delivered at the fort. He 
also pledged his word that the Alachua warriors who should 
escort the provisions should be kindly treated by the white 
men in Fort Caroline, and should be allowed to return at 
once to their own country. 

After taking a day to consider this proposal, and to 
consult with his wise men concerning it, the Alachua chief 

[ 99 ] 



) ) i 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


agreed to accept it, and greatly to Rene’s delight the gath¬ 
ering together of the twelve canoe-loads of corn was at once 
begun. No difficulty was experienced in procuring an es¬ 
cort for them, for all the young Alachua warriors who had 
not attended the Feast of Ripe Corn were anxious to visit 
Fort Caroline, and see for themselves the white men, and 
the great “thunder-bows,” as the Indians named the cannon 
that stood in its embrasures. 

Thus, within two weeks of the time of his arrival in the 
land of the Alachuas, Rene was ready to set forth on his 
return to Fort Caroline. With him were to go his friend 
Has-se, who had obtained a reluctant consent from Micco 
his father to take the journey, and fifty young Alachua 
warriors, under command of Yah-chi-la-ne, Has-se’s brother- 
in-law. 

The white lad had made many pleasant friendships 
among these simple people, and it was with feelings of sad¬ 
ness that he bade farewell to the beautiful Nethla, the 
grave and stately Micco, the good chief of the Alachuas, 
and many others who had been kind to him, and whom he 
feared he might never see again. 

The little fleet of twenty canoes, twelve of which were 
heavily laden with corn, started on their long journey at 
daybreak of a still, cool morning, in the presence of the 
entire population of Micco’s camp, and a great number of 

[ 100 ] 


RENE’S RETURN 


the Alachuas, who had collected to see them off. In the 
leading canoe were Rene, Has-se, Yah-chi-la-ne, and a young 
warrior named Olicatara (the Bear’s Paw). As it shot from 
the bank, the entire assembly of Indians on shore shouted: 

“Farewell, Ta-lah-lo-ko!” 

“Farewell to the young white chief!” 

“Do not forget us, Ta-lah-lo-ko.” 

These shouts sounded very pleasantly to Rene, for they 
showed that he had succeeded in gaining not only the re¬ 
spect but the affection of these kindly people, and he stood 
up and waved his cap to them until they were hidden from 
his sight by a bend in the river. 

On this journey nothing worthy of note happened until 
the party had nearly passed through the great swamp, 
when some of the warriors detected signs that led them to 
suspect that another party, eastward bound, had passed 
that way shortly before. The greatest vigilance was now 
exercised, and every effort made to discover the nature of 
this party. For some time no further trace of them was 
found; but among the vast salt-marshes of the coast these 
efforts were crowned with success. Here two warriors who 
had been sent to the main-land to examine the vicinity 
of a fine spring of fresh-water returned, and reported 
that they had found a recently abandoned camp. From 
unmistakable signs they knew that it had been occupied 

[101 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


by a war-party of those Indian outlaws whom they called 
Seminoles. 

This gave Rene great uneasiness, for he feared that 
since they had received Chitta into their ranks, he had told 
them of the distress of the garrison of Fort Caroline, and 
induced them to attempt an attack upon it. 

Even as Rene supposed, and only a day before he and 
the Alachuas reached that point, Chitta, together with the 
gigantic Cat-sha, and the band of outlaws whom they had 
joined in the great swamp, had passed that way. Their 
object was to surround Fort Caroline, and harass its weak¬ 
ened garrison by cutting off any stragglers who might ven¬ 
ture beyond its walls, until they should have so reduced 
the number of its defenders that it would fall an easy prey 
into their hands. 

Upon arriving in the vicinity of the fort, the Seminoles 
found there a strong war-party of angry savages from the 
South, who were also watching for an opportunity to make 
a successful attack upon it, and thus obtain satisfaction for 
the destruction of one of their villages by the white gold- 
hunters. With these savages the Seminoles joined forces, 
and Cat-sha, whose fame as a bold warrior had spread over 
the entire land, was given command of the little army thus 
formed. 

When they made their attack and were driven back 

[ 102 ] 


RENE’S RETURN 


from the walls of the fort by the terrifying roar of its great 
guns, it was Cat-sha who planned the ambush that so nearly 
proved fatal to Simon the armorer and his men. So well 
had he contrived the movements of his savage forces that 
but for a sudden and unexpected attack from behind he 
would certainly have captured the fort. 

Rene’s anxiety for the safety of his countrymen, when 
he discovered that the Seminoles were moving towards the 
fort, caused him to urge upon Yah-chi-la-ne the need of all 
possible haste in the hope of overtaking them. The Ala- 
chuas were as anxious as he to come into contact with their 
Seminole enemies, and so rapidly did they travel that they 
finally entered the River of May in time to hear the thun¬ 
der of guns from the fort when the first attack of the 
savages was repulsed. 

Landing some distance below the fort, and leaving only 
a few warriors in charge of the canoes, the rest of the little 
band proceeded with the utmost caution up the river bank 
until they came in sight of the tall shell mound. Here they 
remained concealed, while scouts were sent out to discover 
the exact condition of affairs. Gliding with wonderful ease 
and silence amid the dense underbrush, these went, and at 
the end of two hours returned. They had discovered Cat- 
sha’s plan of an ambush, and reported that the white men 
were even then leaving the fort to attack the shell mound. 

[ 103 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Then Yah-chi-la-ne ordered an advance, and dashed for¬ 
ward, with Rene and Has-se close beside him, and followed 
by his eager warriors. They reached the scene of the con¬ 
flict just as the white soldiers were about to be overwhelmed 
by the swarming savages, and in time to pounce upon the 
rear of the astonished Seminoles, and scatter them like the 
forest leaves before a whirlwind. 

It was while charging by Has-se’s side in this his first 
battle that Rene de Veaux gave utterance to the cry of 
“France to the Rescue!” that had so amazed Simon the 
armorer and those with him who heard it. 





♦Chapter Twelve 

ABANDONING THE FORT 

A LTHOUGH the Seminoles and their newly made 
allies, the savages from the South, were thus put 
to flight by the timely arrival of the party that 
accompanied Rene de Veaux, it was only because of the 
surprise of the attack, and because they had no knowledge 
of the strength of these new enemies, which they believed 
to be much greater than it really was. It was certain that 
when they discovered how few those were who had thus 
surprised them, they would return with the chance of over¬ 
whelming the little party by mere numbers. Therefore 
Yah-chi-la-ne was anxious to deliver the twelve canoe-loads 
of corn to the fort, receive the promised reward, and de¬ 
part for his own country that night if possible. 

To accomplish this, he and his followers returned as 
speedily as they could to the place where their canoes had 

[ 105 ] 












THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


been left, and under cover of the darkness which came on 
about that time, moved silently as shadows up the river to¬ 
wards the fort. When they reached its vicinity a new dif¬ 
ficulty presented itself. They feared to hail the sentries 
and demand admission lest they should be fired upon, and 
at the same time draw upon themselves an attack from the 
savages, who would thus discover their whereabouts. 

While they remained undecided as to what plan they 
should adopt to gain an entrance to the fort, Has-se drew 
Rene to one side, and in a whisper said: 

“Ta-lah-lo-ko, the time has come when I may share 
with thee the secret of my people. Since thy blood has 
flowed for my sake, and thou hast received the sacred 
Flamingo Feather, I am free to do so. First pledge thy 
word never to deliver this secret, even to those of thy own 
blood, and it shall be made known to thee.” 

Rene having satisfied Has-se that the secret should be 
kept, the latter continued: 

“Know, then, oh, my brother, that when my people 
aided thy people to build this fort of thine, they constructed 
secretly, and by Micco’s own orders, a passage beneath one 
of its walls, by which they might at any time obtain access 
to the fort or escape from it, as they might desire. It was 
by this means that the Sunbeam left the fort when thy 
people would have held him prisoner within it. It was 

[ 106 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 


easy to force a form as slight as mine between the bars of 
the guard-house window, and once past them I was as free 
as at this moment.” 

Rene was greatly surprised at this disclosure of the weak¬ 
ness of the fort, and not a little troubled to learn of it. He 
asked Has-se if the existence of the passage were known to 
all of his people. 

“No,” said Has-se; “to not more than a score of them 
is the secret known, and they are bound to preserve it as 
they would their lives. Thou art the first besides them to 
whom it has been disclosed.” 

“Well,” said Rene, “so long as the passage thou namest 
exists, we may as well make a use of it. Do thou show it 
to me, and I will enter the fort by means of it. Then will 
I seek my uncle and inform him of what has taken place. 
Thou and the rest shall wait at the water gate, and there 
deliver the provisions and receive the reward. After that 
thou and they are free to return to the land of the Ala- 
chuas; but, oh, Has-se!” he added, with a burst of sincere 
affection, “it grieves me sorely to part from thee, for thou 
art become to me dearer than a brother!” 

Then the two returned to Yah-chi-la-ne, who had been 
somewhat troubled and aggrieved by their long whisper¬ 
ings, which he was not invited to join. He was much re¬ 
lieved when Has-se told him that Rene had discovered a 

[ 107 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


safe way of communicating with his people, and readily 
gave his permission for the two to depart together in 
a canoe, promising at the same time to await patiently 
Has-se’s return. 

With the utmost caution the two boys approached the 
fort at a point where its walls extended close to the river’s 
edge. Here, beneath a tangle of wild grape vines, Has-se 
removed a great piece of bark that closely resembled the 
surrounding soil, and disclosed an opening so narrow that 
but one man at a time might pass it. Leading the way 
into the passage, that extended underground directly back 
from the river, he was closely followed by Rene, and the 
two groped their way slowly through the intense blackness. 
It seemed to the white lad that they must have gone a 
mile before they came to the end, though in reality it was 
but about a hundred yards. 

At length Has-se stopped, raised a second slab of bark 
that rested above his head, and whispered that they were 
now directly beneath the house of the commandant, which 
was built on stone piers that lifted it nearly two feet above 
the ground. 

Has-se then lay down in the narrow passage, while Rene 
crawled over his body, until he was directly beneath the 
opening. Then giving Has-se’s hand a warm squeeze with 
his own, he raised himself to the surface, leaving the Indian 

[ 108 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 

lad to make his way back to those who awaited him out¬ 
side. 

Upon gaining the fresh air once more, Rene found him¬ 
self, even as Has-se had said he would, beneath a house, 
and in fact struck his head smartly against one of its tim¬ 
bers before he realized how shallow was the space between 
it and the ground. Unmindful of the pain of the blow in 
his excitement, he replaced the slab of bark over the mouth 
of the tunnel, and crawled on his hands and knees from 
beneath the building, which, as soon as he passed beyond 
it, he recognized as that occupied by his uncle Laudonniere. 

A profound silence reigned throughout the great enclo¬ 
sure, nor was any light to be seen save a faint gleam that 
found its way through a crevice in one of the lower win¬ 
dow-shutters of the building in front of which Rene stood. 
He was surprised not to meet the sentry who used formerly 
to pace always before the dwelling of the commandant; for 
he knew nothing of the mutiny, nor that all save the sen¬ 
tinels at the gates had been withdrawn. After listening for 
a moment, and hearing nothing, he made his way to the 
window from which came the ray of light, and tapped gently 
upon its shutter. He was compelled to repeat the noise 
several times before it attracted attention from within. At 
last he heard the well-known voice of his old tutor, Le 

Moyne the artist, who called out: 

[ 109 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


“What ho, without! Who goes there?” 

Making no answer, Rene tapped again. This caused the 
light to be extinguished and one leaf of the shutter to be 
cautiously opened, while Le Moyne asked, in a nervous voice: 

“Who is here, and what is thy business with me at this 
hour?” 

“Sh!” replied Rene, in a whisper. “It is I, Rene de 
Veaux. Ask me nothing, but admit me, that I may in¬ 
stantly communicate with my uncle the commandant. I 
have tidings of the utmost importance for him alone.” 

Le Moyne had at once recognized the voice of his be¬ 
loved and long-lost pupil, and with hands trembling with 
eager excitement, he hastened to throw wide open the shut¬ 
ter and assist him to enter by the window. When he had 
got him safely inside he embraced the lad fervently, and 
kissed him on both cheeks. Then he said: “Thy uncle has 
been ill and is still weak; but if thy business is indeed as 
urgent as thou representest, I will instantly acquaint him 
with thy presence. I must, however, break the glad ti¬ 
dings gently and gradually to him, for fear of the effect of 
an overdose of joy.” 

So the good man shuffled away in his loose slippers to¬ 
wards the room in which Laudonniere lay, and without his 
knowledge, Rene followed him closely. 

In the commandant’s room Le Moyne began with: 

[ 110 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 


“Monsieur, I have a message from the dead.” 

“Ay, thou wert always a dreamer,” replied the sick 
man, testily. 

“Nay, but this time it is no dream, but a living reality.” 

“Then the dead have come to life, and thou hast had 
dealings not with them, but with the living.” 

“It is even so, and he is one very dear to thee, whom 
thou hast deemed lost.” 

“What sayest thou?” cried the old chevalier, sitting up 
in bed in his excitement. “One dear to me, whom I deemed 
lost, and is now restored? It can be none other than Rene, 
my son. Where is he? Why tarries he from me?” 

“He tarries not, uncle!” exclaimed a glad voice at the 
door, and in another moment uncle and nephew were locked 
in a close embrace, while sympathetic tears of joy stood in 
the eyes of the good Le Moyne. 

As briefly as possible, and reserving the details for an¬ 
other occasion, Rene told his uncle that he had visited the 
land of the Alachuas, and had returned with twelve canoe¬ 
loads of corn, for which he had promised in his name twelve 
packages of trinkets such as he described, and the safe dis¬ 
missal of their escort from the fort. He added that those 
who had come with him wished to depart that very night, 
and even now awaited him at the water gate. 

“Alas!” exclaimed Laudonniere, when this had been 

[ 111 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


told him, “I have no longer the power to make good thy 
word. While I have lain here as helpless as one struck with 
a palsy, another has assumed command; for know thou, 
my dear lad, that Fort Caroline and all it contains has 
passed into the hands of a body of mutineers, headed by 
none other than thy old friend Simon the armorer. Go 
thou to him, and I doubt not he will treat with these friends 
of thine, even as thou hast promised; for provisions such as 
thou sayest await even now an entrance to the fort are too 
rare a commodity within its walls to be scorned, even by 
mutineers. But, lad, return to me as speedily as may be, 
for the sight of thy brave face is as balm to the wounded, and 
thine absence has distressed me beyond that I can express.” 

So Rene departed in search of Simon, the armorer, and 
by his sudden appearance so frightened the old soldier that 
for some moments he could do nothing but stare, speechless, 
with a mixture of terror and amazement. 

At length Rene succeeded in convincing the leader of 
the mutineers that he was no ghost, but a real flesh-and- 
blood Rene de Veaux. He gave an evasive answer to 
Simon’s question as to how he obtained entrance to the 
fort, and hurried on to tell him, even more briefly than he 
had the commandant, of the successful journey he had 
made, and of the provisions that must be brought into the 
fort immediately. 


[ 112 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 


“In good sooth, Master Rene,” said Simon, when he 
fully comprehended that which the other told him, “I am 
heartily disgusted with this mutineering, and if thy uncle 
would but hold our views as to leaving this country, I 
would gladly resign all authority to him. Even as it is I 
am most willing to be guided in all such matters as this of 
thine by his judgment. As he says receive the provisions, 
of which indeed we are sorely in need, and deliver the trin¬ 
kets thou hast promised to the savages who bring them, 
why, so it shall be done. Thou canst vouch for them, 
though, and art certain that when the gate is once open 
they will not rush in with the intent of capturing the fort 
and murdering us in cold blood?” 

“Of a surety I am,” answered Rene, indignantly. 
“Would those who wished thee harm have fought for thee 
so valiantly as did these same friends of mine but a few 
hours since? It was their brave onset delivered thee from 
the savages near yonder mound of shells, and enabled thee 
to gain the fort in safety.” 

“What! How sayest thou! Was it indeed thy com¬ 
pany who came so gallantly to our aid when we were so 
sorely beset by the savage ambush? Heaven bless thee, 
lad! These friends of thine shall be friends of mine as well 
for this day’s work. Let us hasten to them. It was no 
fancy, then, but thine own brave cry of ‘France to the 

[ 113 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Rescue!’ that rang so cheerily through the forest, though 
I did misdoubt mine own ears at the time, and wondered 
greatly who our unknown friends could be. Thou art a 
noble lad and an honor to thy name.” 

Thus saying, Simon led the way towards the water gate, 
turning out the guard and bidding them accompany him 
as he went. At the gate they found Has-se, Yah-chi-la-ne, 
and the others awaiting them, according to agreement, and 
Simon and his soldiers rejoiced greatly when they saw the 
twelve canoe-loads of corn; for it had arrived just in time to 
avert a veritable famine within the walls of Fort Caroline. 

While under Simon’s direction the provisions were trans¬ 
ferred to the storehouse with all possible despatch, Rene 
and Le Moyne made up the twelve packages of trinkets 
which were to pay for them. On his own account Rene 
also made up a package for Has-se, and another of such 
things as women prize for his sister, the beautiful Nethla. 
Nor was the brave Yah-chi-la-ne forgotten, but received in 
the shape of knives and hatchets what seemed to him 
presents of inestimable value. 

Rene also gratified the young Alachua warriors by tak¬ 
ing them inside the fort, and showing them, as well as he 
was able by the light of lanterns, the great “thunder-bows’’ 
whose voices they had heard that morning when still many 
miles away. 


[ 114 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 


It was past midnight before the visitors were ready to 
depart, and then Rene and Has-se bade each other farewell 
with swelling hearts; for they had learned to love each 
other more dearly than brothers, and they feared they 
might never meet again. 

One by one the canoes of the Alachuas glided away from 
the water gate noiselessly as so many thistle-downs, and 
were instantly lost to view in the night mist that hung like 
a soft gray curtain over the whole river. Rene watched 
the last one depart, and then going to his own room, he 
flung himself on a couch and was almost instantly buried 
in a profound slumber, so thoroughly exhausted was he by 
the exciting labors of the previous day. 

The morning was well advanced when he awoke. For 
some moments he stared about him in bewilderment, un¬ 
able to account for the absence of the open-air surround¬ 
ings of his late life. As soon as he realized where he was, 
he sprang up, dressed, ate a hurried breakfast, and went to 
his uncle’s room. 

He found the commandant feeling so much stronger and 
better that he was sitting up for the first time in weeks, 
and, in a large easy-chair by the window, was impatiently 
awaiting his nephew. A look of great joy lighted up the 
old soldier’s face as Rene entered the room, and he blessed 
Him who had once more restored to him this son of his old 

[ 115 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


age. Then they talked, and several hours had slipped away 
before Rene had related all the details of his remarkable 
journey through the unknown wilderness of the interior, 
and Laudonniere had in turn given all the particulars of 
the mutiny, and made clear the present state of affairs in 
Fort Caroline. 

At the conclusion of Rene’s story his uncle said: “Thou 
hast carried thyself like a man, my lad, and like a true son 
of our noble house. The successful issue of thy undertak¬ 
ing also insures thee a pardon for the manner in which thou 
didst set about it. I must warn thee, however, that unless 
thou choose to be considered a mutineer or a rebel, never 
again take upon thyself the ordering of such a matter when 
under command of a superior officer.” 

Rene hung his head at this mild rebuke, and promised 
his uncle that his future actions should be entirely guided 
by him, so long as they sustained to each other the rela¬ 
tions they now bore. 

He was amazed and troubled to learn of the plans of 
the mutineers in regard to abandoning the fort, and begged 
his uncle’s permission to remonstrate against such a pro¬ 
ceeding with Simon the armorer. It being granted, he held 
a long and serious conversation with the old soldier, but to 
no avail. 

“It is of no use, Master Rene,” the armorer said, in his 

[ 116 ] 


ABANDONING THE FORT 


gruffest tones, but not unkindly, for he felt a strong affec¬ 
tion for the lad, as all did who knew him—“it is of no use 
arguing at this late day. We have fully determined to 
leave this country of starvation and misery, and at least to 
make an effort to lay our bones in fair France. Our ship is 
ready for launching, and the provisions thou hast so bravely 
fetched will serve to victual her. We no longer dare to 
show our faces outside the walls of the fort, for the forest is 
full of red savages who thirst for our blood; and if we re¬ 
main here much longer we shall die like rats in a trap. So 
put you the best possible face on the matter, young mas¬ 
ter, and lend us thine aid in preparing for departure.’’ 

Although Rene could not do this and still remain loyal 
to his uncle, he could and did prepare the chevalier for the 
abandonment of the fort that was so fully determined upon, 
and he rendered the latter valuable service in gathering 
together and packing his important papers for immediate 
removal. 

The newly built vessel, which was at best but a poor 
affair in which to undertake so tremendous a journey, was 
launched, and so speedily equipped that within two weeks 
from the time of Rene’s return she was pronounced ready 
for sea, and the business of getting her stores on board was 
begun. It proceeded so rapidly that in one week more 
Fort Caroline was dismantled of everything except its 

[ 117 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


heavy guns and other ponderous articles that must be left, 
and the day for departure was set. 

Soon after daylight, one fine morning early in the new 
year, the garrison marched on board the vessel. Laudon- 
niere, protesting to the last, and accompanied by his nephew 
and by the faithful Le Moyne, was carried on board. Then 
the sails were spread to a gentle breeze, and the little com¬ 
pany, who had only a few months before built the fort with 
such brave hearts and high hopes, sailed away from it, 
leaving it to its fate, though with the broad banner of 
France still floating above its walls. They expected, and 
even hoped, never to see it again, and even the terrible 
voyage they were about to undertake in a small and crazy 
craft seemed to them less fearful than a continuance of the 
life from which they were escaping. 

The only farewells sent after them came in the shape of 
a few arrows shot at the ship by the angry savages who 
lined the river-bank and sullenly watched the departure of 
their intended victims. 

That day they sailed to the mouth of the river, but 
found so great a sea rolling in over its bar that they dared 
not attempt a passage through it, and were therefore forced 
to drop anchor while still within shelter of the land, and 
await its abatement. 


[ 118 ] 



Chapter Thirteen 

ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 

A S the fugitives from Fort Caroline lay inside the 
mouth of the River of May, awaiting the calming 
of the great seas that broke in columns and hills 
of foam on its bar, and for a favorable wind with which to 
put out to sea, they attempted to strengthen their crazy 
vessel and render her more seaworthy. Already her seams, 
calked with moss and pitch, had opened in so many places 
that she leaked badly, and only constant labor at the 
pumps kept her afloat. 

Laudonniere had no hope of a successful termination of 
their voyage, and as he shared his fears with Le Moyne 
and Rene de Veaux, these three found little consolation in 
the thought of leaving the river and embarking upon the 
turbulent sea that promised them only a grave. They had 
no choice, however, but to go on with the rest; for to re- 

[ 119 ] 

















THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


main behind would be to fall into the hands of the savages, 
and thus meet with a more terrible death than that offered 
by the sea. 

For several days they awaited the opportunity to de¬ 
part, and at length it came. The great waves subsided, 
the wind blew from the right quarter, and spreading all 
their sorry showing of canvas, the little band of white men 
carried their vessel over the bar, and putting boldly out to 
sea, bade farewell, as they thought forever, to the shores 
on which they had suffered so greatly. 

But other things were in store for them, and their voy¬ 
age was soon brought to an end; for, as they were fast 
losing sight of the land, and it showed only as a low-lying 
cloud in the west, the ship suddenly rang with the thrilling 
cry of, “Sail, ho!” All eyes were eagerly turned to the 
white speck seen far away to the southward, and its prob¬ 
able character and nationality were anxiously discussed. 
Many felt confident that it was one of the ships of Admiral 
Ribault, bringing the long-expected reinforcements, but as 
many more felt certain that it was a Spanish ship. If it 
should prove to be the latter they could expect only death 
or a cruel captivity, for, being Huguenots, they knew that 
no mercy would be shown them by the Spanish Catholics. 

As they watched the sail with straining eyes it was 
joined by another and another, until they beheld a goodly 

[ 120 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


fleet bearing down upon them. Only constant labor at the 
pumps kept their own wretched craft from sinking, as she 
crept on at a snail’s pace compared with the rapid advance 
of the on-coming fleet, and those on board of her knew 
that in any case flight was impossible. Nor were they in a 
condition to defend themselves against an attack from even 
the smallest of the approaching ships. Therefore there was 
nothing left for them to do but pray that those who came 
might prove friends and not enemies. 

At length Laudonniere, whose cot had been brought on 
deck, pronounced that by their rig and general appearance 
the ships they watched were not French. Upon this a feel¬ 
ing of dull despair seized upon all who heard him, for they 
thought, if not French, they must certainly be Spanish ships. 

In a moment, however, this despair was changed into 
the wildest joy, for from the mainmast-head of the fore¬ 
most ship there flew out upon the freshening breeze, not 
the cruel yellow banner of Spain, but the brave blood-red 
ensign of England. 

Shouts of welcome burst from the throats of Laudon¬ 
niere and his men. They danced about the deck as though 
crazed by the thoughts of their great deliverance, and most 
speedily they ran to their own mast-head the lily banner of 
France. Its appearance was the signal for a roar of kindly 
greeting from the cannon of the leading English ship, which 

[ m ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


was soon afterwards hove-to at a distance of less than half 
a mile from them. 

The English fleet proved to be that of the brave Sir 
John Hawkins, the bluff old sea-king whose very name was 
a terror to all Spaniards. He was on his way back to his 
own country from one of the famous cruises to the Spanish 
Main and the West Indies that were even then making him 
world-renowned. He had captured many Spanish ships 
laden with treasure in gold and silver from the mines of 
Mexico and Peru, and when he learned of the sad plight of 
the Chevalier Laudonniere and his people, he promptly of¬ 
fered to give them a ship in which they might safely under¬ 
take a voyage to their own country. Moreover, when he 
was told how slender was their store of provisions, he fur¬ 
nished the ship which he was about to give them with a 
supply of food that would last them for several months. 

In the name of King Charles IX of France, Laudon¬ 
niere, who had again assumed command of his little com¬ 
pany unquestioned by the mutineers, thanked the brave 
Englishman for his great kindness to them, and accepted 
his generous gifts. Then the English fleet, with a parting 
salute from its loud-mouthed cannon, bore away and re¬ 
sumed its homeward voyage. At the same time the French¬ 
men stood back for the River of May, where, under shelter 
of the land, they proposed making the transfer of their 

[ 122 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


property from tlieir own crazy craft to the stout ship which 
they had received from the English admiral. Thus it hap¬ 
pened that the sunset of that eventful day found them in 
the very same place from which they had so willingly de¬ 
parted that morning, and had never expected to see again. 

At this time Laudonniere made another earnest effort to 
induce his men to return to Fort Caroline, and there await 
patiently the arrival of Jean Ribault, now that they had a 
supply of provisions and a good ship, but to no avail. 

Simon the armorer, expressing the sentiments of all the 
rest, save only Le Moyne and Rene de Veaux, said: 

“What with fightings and fevers, we are in no condition 
to drive out the savages who have doubtless ere this en¬ 
tered into full possession of Fort Caroline. If we did regain 
the fort, what could we do save remain there until this 
heaven-sent store of provisions should be exhausted? and 
then would we not be in as sad a plight as before? No, 
your Excellency, let us return to our own land while we 
may, and not linger here longer in the hope of succor which 
seems likely never to be sent.” 

So Laudonniere, having numbers against him, was forced 
to accept the situation as he had done before, and the work 
of transfer from one vessel to the other proceeded rapidly. 

When it was accomplished, and they were ready to start 
on their second venture, the elements were again against 

[ 123 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


them, and for a week they were confronted by an impas¬ 
sable wall of foam-crested billows, breaking and roaring upon 
the bar in the most tumultuous confusion. 

Late one afternoon, when their patience had become 
well-nigh exhausted by this tedious delay, all hearts were 
thrilled by the report of a fleet of ships seen far out at 
sea, but approaching the land. An anxious night followed, 
for again were the members of the little band torn with 
conflicting fears and hopes. Were the ships French, English, 
or Spanish? Daylight only could bring an answer to the 
question. 

At length it came, and as the sun rose, its earliest beams 
fell upon seven tall ships riding easily at anchor outside the 
bar. From each was displayed in the golden light the fair 
lily banner of France. 

At this glorious sight there was indeed joy on board 
the ship of Laudonniere. At last the long-looked-for rein¬ 
forcements had come. There was no more talk of mutiny, 
nor of abandoning the country. Now the cry was, “Ho 
for Fort Caroline, and destruction to the savages!” 

Crowding all sail upon their newly acquired ship, and 
with its guns firing salutes of welcome, and banners flung 
to the breeze from every point, they sailed out over the 
still tumultuous bar to greet the new-comers from their 
own land. It was indeed Admiral Jean Ribault and his 

[ 124 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


fleet of succor for the little colony. On board his flag-ship 
Trinity , a joyful meeting took place between him and his 
trusted lieutenant, the brave Laudonniere, who, supported 
by Rene de Veaux and Le Moyne, found strength to carry 
himself thither. 

The admiral was highly indignant when he heard of the 
mutiny, and would have punished the mutineers severely 
had not Laudonniere pleaded for them, giving their suffer¬ 
ings and their despair of the arrival of reinforcements as 
their excuse. 

The closest attention was paid to the tale of the brave 
deeds of Rene de Veaux. At its conclusion the admiral 
sent for him, and caused him to blush as ruddily as his 
sun-tanned cheeks would permit, by highly commending 
the courage and wisdom he had displayed on his journey to 
the land of the Alachuas. In conclusion the admiral said, 
“Did thy years warrant it, thou shouldst receive thy knight¬ 
hood, for never did squire more worthily earn it. For the 
future thy welfare and speedy promotion shall be the es¬ 
pecial charge of Jean Ribault.” 

For such words as these from such a man, Rene felt 
that he would gladly face, single-handed, the whole Semi¬ 
nole band; and for the rest of that day he conceived him¬ 
self to be the happiest boy in the world. 

Only one of Admiral Ribault’s ships was of such light 

[ 125 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


draught as enabled her to cross the bar, and so this one, 
with that of Laudonniere, was obliged to transfer all the 
newly arrived colonists and supplies to Fort Caroline. This 
labor occupied many days, for the three hundred new colo¬ 
nists had brought with them a vast amount of provisions, 
munitions of war, tools, and articles of every description 
necessary for the building and equipping of other forts in 
the New World, and all this had to be brought in over the 
bar and carried up the river. 

When the new-comers first caught sight of the fort they 
were grievously disappointed to see it dismantled and de¬ 
serted. As they approached it more closely they obtained 
a glimpse of a few savages who were still searching for 
plunder within its walls, and from these they gained their 
first impressions of the inhabitants of the New World. 

Rene was made very happy by the return to the fort, 
for he said to himself: “It will soon be time for Micco’s 
people to come again to their own hunting-grounds. Then 
I shall again see Has-se, and mayhap I shall be able to per¬ 
suade him to go with me some day to France.” 

His thoughts were soon to be of other things, for even 
at this time a terrible storm which had long been gathering 
was about to burst upon this little band of Huguenots. 
Even as they busied themselves so happily in restoring their 
fort and planning a settlement that should flourish forever 

[ 126 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


as a refuge for the persecuted of their religion, a powerful 
enemy, and one who was even more cruel than powerful, 
was on the way to destroy it and them. Don Pedro Me- 
nendez, with a fleet of thirty-four ships and three thousand 
troops, had been sent out to the New World by the King 
of Spain. He was ordered to take and hold possession of 
all the country then known as Florida, which extended as 
far north as the English settlement in Virginia, and had no 
western limit. He was to build a fort and found a city; 
but first of all he was to discover and destroy the colony 
of heretics who were reported to have established them¬ 
selves within this territory. 

Soon after Ribault’s coming the Spanish fleet arrived 
on the coast, and sailing northward they discovered the 
French ships, late one afternoon, lying at anchor off the 
mouth of the River of May. At midnight they too came 
to anchor within hailing distance of the French fleet, and a 
trumpet was sounded from the deck of the San Palayo , the 
Spanish flag-ship. It was immediately answered from the 
Trinity , and from the deck of his own ship Menendez in¬ 
quired, with great courtesy: 

“Gentlemen, whence comes this fleet?” 

“From France,” was the reply. 

“What is its object here?” 

“To bring men and supplies to a fort that the King of 

[ 127 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


France has caused to be built in this country, and to es¬ 
tablish many more in his name.” 

“Be ye Catholics or heretics?” 

“We be Huguenots, and who be ye who askest these 
many questions?” 

Then came the bitter answer: “I am Don Pedro Menen- 
dez, admiral of this fleet. It belongs to the King of Spain, 
his Majesty Don Philip II, and I am come to this coun¬ 
try to destroy all heretics found within its limits, whether 
upon sea or land. I may not spare one alive, and at break 
of day it is my purpose to capture your ships and kill all 
heretics they may contain.” 

Upon this Ribault and his men interrupted the proud 
Spaniard with taunts and jeers, begging him not to wait 
until morning before putting his threat into execution, but 
to come at once and kill them. 

So greatly did this provoke the Spanish admiral that he 
ordered his captains to cut the cables of their ships, and 
make an instant attack upon the French fleet, though the 
night was intensely dark. He was so enraged that he 
rushed about the deck of his own ship like a madman, and 
assisted with his own hands in forwarding the preparations 
for battle. In a few minutes the entire Spanish fleet bore 
down upon the six French ships; but the crews of these 
had not been idle, and before their enemies could reach 

[ 128 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


them they too had cut their cables, hoisted sail, and stood 
out to sea. For the rest of the night the Spaniards chased 
them, but Ribault’s superior seamanship soon placed him 
at a safe distance from his pursuers, who at daylight gave 
over the chase and turned back towards the River of May, 
intending to make an attack upon Fort Caroline. 

In the meantime word had been sent to the fort by 
Admiral Ribault of the coming of the Spanish fleet, when 
it was first sighted, and Laudonniere had collected his en¬ 
tire force at the mouth of the river, and planted there a 
number of heavy guns. Here he proposed to dispute the 
landing of the enemy, and if possible to prevent his crossing 
the bar, just inside of which he had anchored his two small 
vessels, so that their guns commanded the narrow channel. 

When Menendez returned from his unsuccessful pursuit 
of Ribault’s ships, and saw these warlike preparations, he 
felt that it would be unwise to attempt to land his troops 
through the surf, or to force the passage of the bar, and so 
he ordered his captains to proceed southward to the River 
of Dolphins. When it was reached, the smaller vessels 
crossed the bar at its mouth, and came to anchor opposite 
the Indian village of Seloy, where Rene de Veaux had first 
set foot upon the soil of the New World, and where he had 
received the name of Ta-lah-lo-ko. 

Here Menendez determined to build his fort, and found 

[ 129 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


a city which he hoped to make the capital of a great and 
glorious kingdom, and from which he proposed to conduct 
operations against the Huguenots of Fort Caroline. On 
the day after his arrival he landed with the greatest pomp 
and ceremony, and claimed possession of the country in 
the name of the King of Spain. As he did so all the can¬ 
non of the ships lying in the river were discharged at once 
with a mighty roar, which was answered by a distant boom¬ 
ing from those anchored far out at sea. At the same time 
all the trumpets were sounded, and the air was filled with 
the exulting shouts of the soldiers, and with hymns of 
praise chanted by a great company of priests. At the same 
moment the great stag that stood in front of the council- 
house of the Indians was torn down from the tall pole on 
which it was uplifted, and the cross was raised in its place. 

So terrified were the simple-minded Indian inhabitants 
of the village by this sacrilege, and the great noise of the 
rejoicings, that they knew not which way to turn or flee, 
until they were seized by the brutal soldiers, and either 
killed or set to work with the negro slaves brought from 
the West Indies in throwing up fortifications. After thus 
taking possession of the country, Menendez proclaimed 
that the new city, founded upon the smoking and blood¬ 
stained ruins of the pleasant little Indian village of Seloy, 
should be called “San Augustin,” which name it bears to 

[ 130 ] 


ARRIVAL OF JEAN RIBAULT 


this day, and that the River of Dolphins should be there¬ 
after known as the “San Augustin River.” 

When the bewildered chief of the Seloy Indians found 
that these strange white men were about to destroy his 
village, he made a bitter protest against their cruelties; 
but he was no more regarded than if he had been a barking 
dog. They would have killed him, but he gathered to¬ 
gether a few of his chosen warriors, and with them fled for 
protection to his white friend Laudonniere, at Fort Caro¬ 
line, which place he reached the next day. 

He had some difficulty in gaining admittance to the 
fort, for since its attack by the Seminoles its garrison were 
suspicious of all Indians, and had it not been for Rene de 
Veaux he would have been driven away. Rene happened 
to be near the gate when the sentinel challenged the new¬ 
comers, and recognizing the good old chief who had been 
so kind to him, and whom he knew to be a friend of his 
uncle, ordered the sentry to admit these Indians, at the 
same time pledging his own word for their good faith. 

When Rene learned the importance of the tidings brought 
by these fugitives, he at once conducted the chief to Lau¬ 
donniere, on whom the fever still retained such a hold as 
to confine him to his room. 

The poor old chief told his pitiful tale to Laudonniere, 
and begged his powerful aid in driving aw r ay these wicked 

[ 131 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


white men, who had treated him so differently from all 
others who had landed at his village. Promising to do 
what he could, Laudonniere at once despatched a messen¬ 
ger down tke river to Admiral Ribault, who had returned 
with his ships and again lay at anchor beyond the bar. 

In answer came an order for all the fighting men of 
Fort Caroline to join the fleet immediately, as the admiral 
proposed to sail southward and attack these impudent 
Spaniards ere they had time to elect fortifications, or so 
strengthen their position that to attack it would be useless. 

Then came a time of tremendous bustle and excitement 
within the fort. There were men hurrying hither and thither 
gathering their weapons, women and children screaming 
and crying—for many of these had been brought out with 
the new colonists—and dogs barking. 

Rene de Veaux begged his uncle to permit him to ac¬ 
company the fighting men, but Laudonniere said “No,” 
that the order did not include boys, and he could be of 
greatest service by remaining within the fort. 

So the fighting men marched away to join the fleet, 
leaving Fort Caroline to be defended only by the old, the 
sick, the women, and the children. Besides the command¬ 
ant and Rene de Veaux, among those who remained behind 
were Le Moyne the artist, and old Simon the armorer, to 
whom was given the command of the guard. 

[ 132 ] 




Chapter Fourteen 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 

I MMEDIATELY after landing Menendez and his sol¬ 
diers, with their supplies, at San Augustin, the ships 
of the fleet, which on account of their size had been 
unable to enter the river, sailed away for Spain, leaving 
only a few small vessels at anchor inside the bar. Thus 
apparently all was favorable to the bold enterprise of Ad¬ 
miral Ribault, who, with his six ships, and all the troops 
from Fort Caroline, had determined to attack, and if pos¬ 
sible to destroy, the newly founded city before it could be 
fortified. 

When he arrived off the mouth of the river the tide was 
so low on the bar that his ships could not pass it. So they 
stood off and on, waiting for it to rise, and the Spaniards 
on shore, seeing them, were filled with great consternation. 
Of a sudden, almost without warning, there came a terrible 
blast of wind out of the north-east. It was followed by 
another and another, until such a gale was raging as had 

[ 133 ] 












THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


never been seen by white men on that coast. In vain did 
the French ships struggle against it, and against the huge 
billows that towered as high as their tallest masts. They 
could do nothing against its fury, and soon the Spaniards 
were filled with joy at seeing them drift helplessly down 
the coast towards certain wreck and destruction. 

Then Menendez made up his mind, in spite of the ter¬ 
rible gale, to march overland to the attack of Fort Caro¬ 
line, thus deprived of its defenders. Followed by five 
hundred picked men, he set forth, and for three days, 
beaten and drenched by the pitiless storm, he wandered 
through overflowed swamps and tangled forests. He had 
compelled several of the Seloy Indians to go with him and 
act as guides; but finally, believing that they were pur¬ 
posely leading him astray, he put them to death with great 
cruelty, and trusted to his own knowledge to lead him to 
the great river. At length he reached it, and following its 
course, came during the night to a high bluff, from which 
he looked down upon the few twinkling lights of Fort 
Caroline beneath him. 

Meantime the raging of the elements had caused the 
greatest anxiety to those who remained within the fort, for 
they were fearful of its effect upon the ships of Admiral 
Ribault; and though they of course knew nothing of their 
fate, they were already beginning to regard them as lost. 

[ 134 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


Under Simon, the armorer, as captain of the guard, 
Rene de Veaux had done duty with the few old men and 
invalids who were pressed into service as sentinels, and he 
had manfully shouldered his cross-bow, and paced the walls 
through many long hours of storm, rain, and darkness. Al¬ 
though, in his pride at thus performing the duties of a real 
soldier, the boy allowed no word of complaint to escape 
him, he felt what the others expressed openly—that this 
guard duty, now that the Spaniards and savages had de¬ 
parted, and in the midst of a storm so terrible that it did 
not seem possible for mortals to face it, was an unneces¬ 
sary hardship. So when, towards morning of the fourth 
night, after two hours of wearily pacing the walls in the 
cold, drenching rain, he was relieved, and flung himself, all 
wet as he was, upon a couch in his own quarters, he deter¬ 
mined to remonstrate with Simon upon the subject. 

In spite of his feelings, Rene had been absolutely faith¬ 
ful to his duty, which, alas! the soldier who relieved him 
was not. After a few turns upon the parapet, during 
which he neither saw nor heard anything to disquiet him, 
this sentinel sought shelter from the beatings of the storm 
in an angle of the walls, where he soon fell into a doze. 

Even then the Spaniards were at the gates, awaiting the 
signal to make an attack. It was given, and Rene had 
hardly dropped into a troubled sleep when he was rudely 

[ 135 ] 



THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


awakened by a crash, a rending of wood, the wild scream 
of agony with which the unfaithful sentinel yielded up his 
life, and the triumphant yells of the enemy, who had forced 
an entrance through the little unguarded postern-gate. 

Rene sprang to the door, and for an instant stood mo¬ 
tionless, petrified by terror at the awful sights that greeted 
his gaze. Already flames were bursting from many of the 
tents and barracks, and by the light thus given he saw 
men, women, and children, almost naked as they had sprung 
from their beds, flying in every direction before the pitiless 
Spaniards. Wherever they turned the fugitives were met 
by long pikes, gleaming swords, and keen daggers, and 
above the howlings of the storm rose their shrill screams of 
terror and quickly stifled cries of mortal agony. 

For an instant only did Rene gaze upon these awful 
scenes, and then, remembering his uncle, he rushed to the 
commandant’s dwelling, which the Spaniards had not yet 
reached. He found Laudonniere, pale and trembling, but 
as calm and collected as becomes the brave soldier even in 
the presence of death, standing beside his bed, while the 
faithful Le Moyne endeavored to assist him into his 
armor. 

Breathlessly Rene explained that there was no time to 
lose, and no hope of saving the fort. “All is lost!” he 
cried, “and if ye would save your own lives, follow me 

[ 136 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 

without an instant’s delay. I, and I alone, know of a way 
of escape.” 

It was only then that Rene had bethought himself of 
the underground passage of which Has-se had taught him 
the secret. 

Reassured by his confident words, the two men followed 
him out of the house, and to their great surprise were led 
beneath it among the stone piers of its foundations. They 
were not a moment too soon, for as they disappeared, some 
Spanish soldiers, who had learned that this was the dwell¬ 
ing of the commandant, burst into it with savage cries, and 
proceeded to search its every corner in the hope of captur¬ 
ing the greatest prize of all in the person of the Huguenot 
leader. 

Their hour of triumph was embittered by not finding 
him, for even as they searched his chamber he, preceded by 
Rene de Veaux and followed by Le Moyne the artist, was 
making his way through the narrow tunnel beneath them 
towards the river-bank beyond the walls of the fort. 

So surprised was Laudonniere at this underground pas¬ 
sage leading into the very heart of his fort, of the existence 
of which he had never until that moment even dreamed, 
that when they emerged on the river-bank he forgot all 
else in his curiosity concerning it. 

“Whence comes this passage that has proved of such 

[ 137 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


wonderful service to us, and how earnest thou by a knowl¬ 
edge of it?” he asked of his nephew. 

Even when Rene would not betray the solemn promise 
of secrecy given to Has-se, but answered: 

“Let us not now stop to talk of these matters, I pray 
thee, oh, mine uncle. Thy precious life is still in great 
danger. Let us first perfect thy escape, and another time 
I will answer thee concerning this secret passage. For the 
present I beg of thee to make thy way, accompanied by 
the good Master Le Moyne, as speedily and secretly as 
may be, down the river to its mouth, where do still lie the 
two small ships left behind by Admiral Ribault. Let me, 
who am young, strong, and active, tarry here for a short 
time, that perchance I may aid others of our people to 
effect an escape by means of this same tunnel. I will delay 
but shortly, and will overtake and rejoin thee long ere thy 
feebleness shall have permitted thee to reach the river’s 
mouth.” 

Although Laudonniere was most reluctant to part with 
his nephew at such a time, he deemed that it would be an 
exhibition of selfishness on his part to compel his attend¬ 
ance upon himself when it was possible that by remaining 
he might save the lives of some of the unfortunates within 
the fort. Therefore he reluctantly gave his consent that 
Rene should remain behind for a short time, but charged 

[ 138 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


him not to unnecessarily expose himself to danger. Then 
both men embraced the lad fervently, gave him their bless¬ 
ing, and departed, full of the hope of speedily meeting 
with him again—a hope that was destined to be sadly 
deferred. 

After their departure Rene again entered the tunnel and 
made his way back to its inner terminus. There he cau¬ 
tiously drew himself up from its mouth, crept to the edge 
of the building beneath which it lay, and watched and lis¬ 
tened for what he might discover. 

He had not been there a minute when he was startled 
by hearing a smothered groan close at hand. Listening at¬ 
tentively, he heard it again; and feeling confident that he 
who uttered it must be one of his own countrymen, he 
began to creep carefully, and without betraying his pres¬ 
ence by the slightest sound, in the direction from which it 
proceeded. At length he heard a third groan, so close to 
him that he instinctively drew back for fear of coming into 
contact with the person who uttered it. Then, in the light¬ 
est of whispers, he inquired: 

“Who is there? I am Rene de Veaux.” 

For answer came the whisper, “Heaven help thee, Mas¬ 
ter Rene, if thou art in like plight with myself! I am thy 
old friend Simon, sorely wounded, and with no hope save 
that of falling into the hands of these fiends of Spaniards 

[ 139 ] 



THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


when daylight shall enable them to make a thorough search 
of the premises.” 

“Cheer up, good Simon, and speak not thus dolefully,” 
whispered Rene. “If thou canst walk, or even crawl, I can 
save thee. Where lies thy wound?” 

“Not so that it interferes with my crawling or even 
walking; for though it seems to lie in several portions of 
my body at once, it affects not my legs. If thou hast 
knowledge of a chance of escape, however slender, lead on, 
and I will gladly follow thee, for hopes I have none in re¬ 
maining here.” 

So Rene guided Simon very slowly and cautiously to 
the mouth of the tunnel. Through it the old man forced 
his way, with much difficulty and many groans, until he too 
reached the river-bank in safety, and was sent on to join 
Laudonniere and Le Moyne, and with them to make an 
effort to reach the ships. 

Then once more did the brave lad make his way back 
through the narrow tunnel and to the outer edge of the 
house above its inner entrance. Here, as before, he lis¬ 
tened and waited in the hope of discovering other unfor¬ 
tunates whom he might aid to escape. 

As he lay there watching, he listened with a swelling 
heart to the triumphant songs and shouts of the Spaniards 
and the cries of the victims, whose hiding-places were still 

[ 140 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


occasionally discovered, and who were instantly put to 
death. Suddenly the smouldering embers of a fire near by 
were fanned into a momentary blaze that caused him to with¬ 
draw hastily beneath the building lest he should be discov¬ 
ered. As he did so his eye lighted on a pile of books and 
papers that had been tossed from the windows of the build¬ 
ing beneath which he was concealed. Even in that glance 
he recognized them as belonging to his uncle, and being the 
same that he had helped to pack when the fort was aban¬ 
doned. 

Realizing their importance, and despairing of being able 
to afford further aid to any of the recent occupants of the 
fort, Rene determined to attempt to save these papers. It 
was a bold undertaking, for to reach them he was obliged 
to leave the shelter of the building and advance some dis¬ 
tance into the open, where at any moment he might be 
revealed to his enemies by flashes of firelight from the 
smouldering timbers near by. Fully realizing the risk he 
ran, but undismayed by it, the brave boy made several 
trips to and from the pile of books and papers. He had re¬ 
moved nearly all of them to the tunnel, which he felt to be 
the only safe place for them, when he suddenly became 
aware that morning was near at hand, and that the rapidly 
increasing light of day had made his task doubly dangerous. 

Knowing, however, that all that were left could be 

[ 141 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


carried on one more trip, he determined to make it. Just 
as he gathered into his arms the last of the papers to save 
which he was risking his life, a yell of delight announced 
that he was discovered. A quick glance revealed two Span¬ 
ish soldiers rushing towards him with levelled pikes, and 
gleaming eyes that were red and bloodshot as those of the 
tiger who has tasted blood. 

With a rare presence of mind, and without dropping his 
precious bundle, Rene darted, not under the house, but 
into it through the main entrance. Running through the 
long hall, which was still shrouded in complete darkness, he 
sprang out of an open window at its rear end. As he did 
so he heard his pursuers enter the house and begin an 
eager search of its rooms, at the same time calling others of 
their comrades to their assistance. 

Breathlessly creeping beneath the building, Rene reached 
the underground passage in safety, and deposited within it 
the papers for which he had dared so much. After drawing 
the slab of bark carefully over the entrance above his 
head, he removed all the books and papers to the very 
middle of the tunnel, where they nearly blocked the nar¬ 
row way and rendered it impassable. With the other things, 
he had brought away a small iron box, banded and locked, 
and this he took especial pains to effectually conceal. 

While he was thus working like a mole beneath the 

[ 142 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


ground, the baffled Spaniards above his head were becom¬ 
ing more and more enraged and perplexed. Their thorough 
search of the building into which they had seen their 
would-be victim enter, but which no one had seen him 
leave, failed to discover not only him, but any traces of the 
great pile of books and papers which they had collected for 
the purpose of burning. 

Finally they became convinced that the building con¬ 
tained some secret chamber that they were unable to de¬ 
tect, and by order of Menendez himself it was set on fire 
and burned to the ground. Thus the Spaniards felt sure 
that they had destroyed not only the books and papers, 
but the unknown enemy who had so daringly risked his 
life to recover and save them. At the same time they were 
greatly astonished that he should have quietly permitted 
the fire to destroy him without making an effort to escape, 
or allowing a single cry of pain or anguish to betray his 
presence. After much consideration of the matter they 
finally concluded that so many of the Huguenots had suf¬ 
fered martyrdom at the stake that they had all learned to 
endure the torture of burning in silence. 

When Rene had finished storing the books and papers 
as carefully as the circumstances would permit, he at last 
found time to consider his own safety. Going to the end of 
the tunnel, and peering cautiously out to make sure that he 

[ 143 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


was not observed, he replaced the bark door beneath its 
curtain of vines, and began to work his way very slowly 
and with many a backward glance down the river. It was 
now broad daylight, and for fear of being seen from the 
fort, he crept close under shelter of the bank, sometimes 
crawling on his hands and knees, and often wading in 
water up to his waist. 

At length, by several hours’ hard labor, which, coming 
after his exertions of the preceding night, completely ex¬ 
hausted him, he reached the high bluff which has already 
been described as commanding a view of several miles both 
up and down the river. Wearily the tired boy climbed to 
its summit, from which, as he gazed up the river, he saw 
with a heavy heart the yellow banner of Spain flaunting 
itself above the walls of Fort Caroline. As its folds glis¬ 
tened in the bright sunshine, for the storm of the past four 
days had passed away with the night, they seemed to him 
like those of some huge and venomous serpent, and he 
turned from the sight with a shudder. 

On the other hand, in the far distance, he saw, still lying 
at anchor, the two small ships which he believed to be, as 
they were, the only representatives of the power of France 
now left in the New World. On these he placed all his 
hopes of escape, of future happiness, and of life itself. 

Anxious as he was to reach the ships and to rejoin his 

[ 144 ] 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


uncle, the poor lad’s exhausted frame could withstand the 
terrible strain upon it no longer. It pleaded for a rest so 
effectually that Rene flung himself upon a pile of wet moss, 
determined to snatch an hour’s sleep before attempting to 
proceed farther. 

As the boy slept he was visited by troublous dreams 
that caused him to toss his arms and moan pitifully; and 
no wonder, after the horrid scenes of which he had so re¬ 
cently been a spectator; no wonder, too, when new and 
terrible dangers threatened him closely even as he slept. 
Had he been awake he would have noticed the approach of 
a small band of Indians, who, appearing on the edge of the 
forest, made their way directly towards the bluff. It was 
a party of Seminole warriors, led by their chief, the gigantic 
Cat-sha. With him was Chitta the Snake, and behind 
them walked three bound prisoners. Two of these were 
Frenchmen, and the third was an Indian lad who had es¬ 
caped with his chief from the doomed village of Seloy, only 
to share the fate of the equally doomed fort in which he 
had sought shelter. These had thrown themselves from 
the walls of the fort upon its capture by the Spaniards, and 
had reached the forest unharmed. 

There they had fallen into the hands of these Seminoles, 
who had not fled from this part of the country upon the 
return of the French, as the latter had supposed, but had 

[ 145 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


lingered in the hope of capturing any white men who might 
incautiously stray beyond the protecting walls. They de¬ 
sired to capture these that their tortures might form part 
of the festivities with which they proposed to celebrate 
their return to the stronghold in the great swamp, and to 
which the rest of the band, bearing the plunder taken from 
Fort Caroline after it was abandoned, had already gone. 
The Seminoles, rejoicing greatly over the fortune that had 
thrown three victims thus easily into their hands, were 
now on their way to their canoes, which they had hidden 
near the foot of this high bluff. 

Directing the others to proceed to where the canoes' lay, 
Cat-sha, accompanied by Chitta, ascended the eminence 
for the purpose of taking a sweeping view of the river and 
the surrounding country. As they gained the summit 
Rene’s moanings warned them of his presence. Stealing to 
the spot where he lay with the noiseless footfalls of wild 
beasts, the two Indians stood for a moment gloating over 
the unconscious lad. They fully realized the value of this 
unexpected and welcome prize, for both of them recognized 
the young white chief the moment their eyes lighted upon 
him. In another minute the poor lad had awakened with a 
wild cry of terror, to find himself bound hand and foot, and 
lying at the mercy of those whom he knew to be his bitter¬ 
est and most unrelenting enemies. 

[ 146 ] 


Chapter Fifteen 

RENE IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 





W ELL might Rene de Veaux feel that he had 
fallen into evil hands, as, upon awakening from 
his troubled slumber, he found himself bound 
hand and foot, and gazed into the cruel face of Chitta, 
lighted by a triumphant but sneering smile. Nor did he 
gain any comfort by turning his eyes to the sullen counte¬ 
nance of the huge Cat-sha. Neither pity nor mercy was 
expressed in the slightest degree by either of the Seminoles. 
Chitta thought of the revenge he was to enjoy for his 
humiliating overthrow during the games at the Feast of 
Ripe Corn, which he fully believed he owed to the white 
lad. Cat-sha knew that Rene had led the attack upon his 
band at the shell mound, and regarded him as a brave 
enemy whom he should take an exquisite delight in tor¬ 
turing. 


[ 147 ] 




THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Loosening the bonds that encircled the boy’s ankles, his 
captors forced him to walk to the foot of the bluff, where 
the rest of their band were gathered. These received the 
new prisoner with extravagant manifestations of delight, 
and after all had examined him, and his weapons had been 
taken from him, he was again tightly bound and thrown 
into the bottom of one of the canoes. Although he had 
caught a glimpse of the other white prisoners, he was not 
allowed to communicate with them. 

As his captors desired to keep him well and strong, they 
gave him food and water, both of which he at first thought 
of refusing, and thus bringing his sufferings to an end as 
quickly as possible. On second thoughts, however, he de¬ 
cided that this course would be cowardly, and unworthy of 
his white blood. So he ate heartily all that was offered to 
him, determined to keep up his strength, and to make a 
desperate effort to escape should the slightest opportunity 
present itself. 

Having reached this decision, Rene felt much calmer 
and more hopeful, and as he was sadly in need of sleep, he 
determined to obtain as much of that blessing as was pos¬ 
sible. Shortly afterwards the Indians were greatly aston¬ 
ished to find their new prisoner slumbering as quietly as 
though no danger threatened him and he had not an anx¬ 
iety in the world. 


[ 148 ] 


IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 


While daylight lasted the Seminoles remained in that 
spot, but at nightfall they launched their canoes, and set 
forth on their journey to the great swamp of the Okeefeno- 
kee. 

An hour later a few shadows flitted through the dark¬ 
ness over the placid waters, past the two French ships that 
still lay at anchor near the mouth of the river. Making 
no sound, they were unnoticed and unchallenged, and in a 
few minutes they had turned and vanished amid the vast 
salt-marshes that bounded the river on the north. Thus 
Rene de Veaux passed within a few rods of the uncle who 
was so anxiously awaiting his coming, and neither of them 
had the slightest suspicion of the other’s presence. 

Lying in the bottom of a canoe, from which he was only 
taken when the Indians went into camp, Rene knew not 
whither he was being taken, nor had he any idea that he 
was making the very same journey that he and Has-se had 
taken together some months before. He was not allowed 
to communicate with, nor did he even see, the other white 
prisoners, for they were carried in separate canoes, and at 
night all three were bound to trees situated at considerable 
distances from each other. 

Day after day the boy studied the faces of his captors 
attentively, but among them all he found only one that 
betrayed the faintest evidence of pity for his forlorn con- 

[ 149 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


dition. Even his expression was only one of somewhat less 
ferocity than that of the others, and poor Rene imagined 
that it was owing to his youth, for this Indian was but a 
mere lad of even less years than himself. In fact he was 
the young Indian from Seloy who had been captured by 
the Seminoles on the same day with Rene. Having unex¬ 
pectedly obtained three instead of two white prisoners, and 
being in need of recruits, Cat-sha had offered to spare this 
lad’s life and set him at liberty if he would become a Semi¬ 
nole and a member of their band. This the young Indian, 
whose name was E-chee (the Deer), had professed himself 
as willing to do, though he secretly determined to make his 
escape at the very first opportunity. 

He had at once recognized Rene, though he was careful 
not to betray the fact, and was very glad that the white 
lad showed no sign of ever having seen him. Only by an 
occasional pitying glance, when he could give it undetected 
by the others, did he attempt to convey his friendly feel¬ 
ings to the young prisoner. When it came his turn to 
stand guard over the captives, he treated them with greater 
harshness than any of the Seminoles, in order to allay any 
suspicion that might be entertained of his faithfulness. 
But always he watched for an opportunity to communicate 
with Rene, and make known to him that he was a friend. 

At length such an opportunity offered itself. They had 

[ 150 ] 


IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 


entered the great swamp, and even Rene, from the bottom 
of the canoe, seeing the tall cypresses meet overhead, began 
to suspect where they were. During a portion of an in¬ 
tensely dark night E-chee kept watch over the prisoners. 
While the guard whom he relieved was there to note the 
action, he gave each of the three captives a kick with his 
moccasined foot. This, while it did not hurt them, ex¬ 
pressed to the Seminole a degree of contempt that satisfied 
him that the new recruit hated the white men as cordially 
as he himself. 

When he had departed and all was quiet, E-chee ap¬ 
proached the place where Rene lay bound to a tree, and 
lying down close beside him, he whispered, “Ta-lah-lo-ko.” 

Rene had fallen asleep, but he was instantly awakened 
by the sound of this familiar name, even though it was 
only whispered. Without moving, he waited to hear if the 
sound would be repeated, or whether he had only dreamed 
some one had called him. 

In a moment the whisper came again, “Ta-lah-lo-ko.” 

“Who art thou?” asked Rene, in the Indian language. 

“I am E-chee from Seloy, where I saw thee when thou 
first set foot on the land of my people. Dost thou not re¬ 
member?” 

“Art thou not E-chee the Seminole?” 

“To all appearance I am become one of these runaways, 

[ 151 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


but my heart is that of a true man, and I seek only an op¬ 
portunity to escape from them and to rejoin my own people. 
If indeed any of my people be left alive,” he added, bitterly. 

“Dost thou think an escape may be effected?” asked 
Rene, eagerly, a new hope dawning in his breast. 

“I know not, but I can try, and should I fail, death it¬ 
self were better than life with these Seminole dogs.” 

Then Rene asked where they were and what E-chee 
knew of Cat-sha’s plans. 

He was told that they were in the great Okeefenokee 
swamp, even as he had suspected. On the morrow they 
were to leave the canoes and find a trail that led to the 
Seminole village, hidden in its most impenetrable depths. 
When they reached it E-chee believed, from fragments of 
conversation he had overheard, that there was to be a 
great feast, and that the prisoners were to be tortured. 

Then Rene told E-chee of the land of the Alachuas, and 
described to him how he might reach it. This done, he 
asked the young Indian to reach a hand into the breast of 
his doublet, where, within its lining, he would find a feather 
with a slender chain and pin attached to it. This, on ac¬ 
count of his bonds, he could not get at with his own 
hands. 

When E-chee had secured the feather, which was the 
very Flamingo Feather given to Rene by Has-se, Rene told 

[ 152 ] 


IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 


him to guard it with his life; and, if he succeeded in escap¬ 
ing from the Seminoles, to convey it with all speed to the 
land of the Alachuas. There he was to present it to any of 
Micco’s tribe, but in particular to one named Has-se the 
bow-bearer, if he could discover him. He was to tell them 
of the sad plight of the prisoners, and beg of them to send 
a party to their rescue. 

Hardly had he finished these instructions when the snap¬ 
ping of a twig near by caused E-chee to spring to his feet 
and pour out a torrent of abuse upon Rene, at the same 
time giving him a kick that drew from the prostrate lad an 
exclamation of pain. It was quite as much a groan of des¬ 
pair; for he could not understand the action of the young 
Indian, and imagined him to be a vile traitor who had only 
gained his confidence in order to betray it. 

Directly, however, he heard the voice of Cat-sha de¬ 
manding of E-chee why he thus abused the prisoners. To 
this the young Indian made answer that he had discovered 
that this one, who was the most troublesome of the three, 
had nearly succeeded in loosening his bonds. This he would 
doubtless have accomplished had not he, E-chee, been pos¬ 
sessed of the forethought to examine them as he made his 
rounds. 

Commending his vigilance, Cat-sha, who was in the 
habit of personally assuring himself of the safety of the 

[ 153 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


prisoners several times during each night, passed on. Then 
E-chee, after stooping to whisper to Rene to be of good 
cheer, also moved away. 

Before noon of the following day the canoes were run 
ashore, and Rene was allowed to rise and step from the one 
in the bottom of which he had travelled. As he did so, he 
at once knew the place as the head of the little lagoon, 
where he had been left to nurse his snake-bite, while Has-se 
explored the trail that led away into the swamp. It was 
with a swelling heart that the lad contrasted his present 
position with the one he had occupied at that time, and it 
was with difficulty that he forced back the hot tears that 
his thoughts caused to stand ready to flow. 

The brave lad did not permit these signs of weakness to 
be seen, and he received some comfort by catching a kindly 
look from E-chee, and exchanging sympathetic glances with 
his fellow-prisoners, with whom, however, he was not al¬ 
lowed to speak. They were of the new arrivals, and on 
account of illness had been left in the fort when the fight¬ 
ing men marched away to join Admiral Ribault. 

As soon as the canoes had been drawn from the water 
and carefully concealed, the Seminoles and their captives 
turned into the gloom of the shadowy cypresses, and made 
their way in single file along the narrow trail that led away 
from the lagoon. It was often covered with water, and 

[ 154 ] 


IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 


a misstep on either side of its entire length would have 
plunged the unfortunate who should make it into a bot¬ 
tomless morass. From it, without assistance, he would 
never be able to extricate himself, but would only sink 
deeper and deeper, until he had disappeared forever. It 
happened that one of the French prisoners did step from 
the trail on this occasion. The brutal savages watched 
with pleasure his frantic struggles to regain a footing, but 
without offering to aid him. He had very nearly drowned 
in the horrible mixture of black water and blacker mud 
before they hauled him out. He was in a pitiable plight, 
but they only greeted him with blows and jeers at his ap¬ 
pearance, and forced him to resume the march, without al¬ 
lowing him to remove from his clothing any of the filth that 
clung to it. 

Rene was able to distinguish the point at which the trail 
they were following branched off from that formerly taken 
by Has-se. He hoped that E-chee would also note it, but 
had no chance of assuring himself that the young Indian 
had done so. 

It was nearly nightfall before they reached the Semi¬ 
nole village that marked their journey’s end. Here they 
were received by its inhabitants with the wildest demon¬ 
strations of savage joy. Rene was an especial object of in¬ 
terest, for, as the “young white chief,” his name was 

[ 155 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


already well known to them, and his capture was regarded 
as the most noteworthy one ever made by the band. 

The squaws and children, and even the youths of his 
own age, crowded closely about him, taunting him with 
shrill voices, spitting on him, pulling his hair, and pushing 
him this way and that. For some time Rene bore all this 
patiently, feeling that to express annoyance would perhaps 
only subject him to greater abuses. He knew also that it 
would afford his tormentors the greatest delight and satis¬ 
faction, and this pleasure he was not inclined to give them. 

At length, however, his patience came to an end. Among 
the crowd surrounding him was a lad somewhat taller than 
himself, and possessed of hideous features. When he began 
pricking Rene with the point of a sharp knife, at the same 
time approaching his face close to that of his victim, and 
mocking him with frightful grimaces, the boy could stand 
it no longer. Regardless of what the consequences might 
be, he drew back a step, and raising his clinched and still 
bound hands, struck his tormentor full in the face such a 
blow as felled him to the ground. 

A loud outcry arose at this unexpected exhibition of the 
prisoner’s spirit, and the young savage, regaining his feet, 
was so enraged that he attempted to plunge his knife into 
Rene’s heart. This was prevented by several warriors who 
had witnessed the scene, and who stepped quickly forward 

[ 156 ] 


IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 

to his rescue. Pushing Rene’s assailant aside, they led him 
away to a palmetto-thatched hut that stood at a distance 
from the rest. Here, after so tightening the bonds of his 
ankles that he could not stand, but could only sit or lie 
down, they closed the entrance and left him to his own 
sorrowful reflections. 

The Seminole village occupied an island the surface of 
which was raised considerably above that of the surround¬ 
ing swamp. It was of such extent as to afford space for 
several large fields of maize, pumpkins, and starch root, be¬ 
sides the collection of huts, which numbered in all about a 
hundred. These represented a population of about five 
hundred souls, of whom about two hundred were warriors. 

On all sides of the island stretched to unknown distances 
the vast impenetrable swamp, and only by the one narrow 
trail over which Rene had been brought could it be gained 
from the outside world. At the point where this trail joined 
the island a Seminole warrior kept watch night and day, so 
that the place would seem to be absolutely safe against 
surprise, and proof against any attack that might be made 
upon it. Escape from it would also appear to be im¬ 
possible. 

On the very night of the arrival of Cat-sha and his pris¬ 
oners, the warrior who kept guard at the end of the trail 
was startled by hearing a few wild notes of a death-song 

[ 157 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


rise from a small thicket but a short distance from him. 
Then came a loud cry, and the words, 

“Thus does E-chee of Seloy defy the Seminole dogs and 
rejoin his people!” 

Directly afterwards, and before the astonished warrior 
could reach the spot, he heard a loud splash in the black 
waters that surrounded the island, and then all was still. 

As the warrior gained the little thicket, he saw nothing 
save some ripples on the surface of the water, and some 
bubbles rising from its unknown depths. He was joined 
by others from the village, and all searched the thicket for 
some trace of him who had uttered the remarkable cry. 
Finally they discovered in it the head-dress of feathers that 
the young Indian of Seloy had worn as a Seminole warrior, 
and were forced to conclude that he had drowned himself 
rather than to live as one of them. Sneering at the want of 
taste he had thus displayed, and regretting that he had 
not been kept a prisoner, and as such been tortured for 
their amusement, instead of being allowed to become a 
Seminole, they returned to the village. The sentinel re¬ 
sumed his watch of the trail, and the incident of E-chee’s 
disappearance was thought of no more. 

When Rene overheard some Indians talking outside the 
hut in which he lay, and laughingly telling each other of 
the method E-chee had taken to rejoin his own people, his 

[ 158 ] 



RENE IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 










IN THE HANDS OF HIS ENEMIES 


heart sank within him, and he felt that he no longer had 
aught to hope for, now that his only friend amid all these 
enemies was dead. 

On the following day preparations for the great feast of 
rejoicing were actively begun. In the middle of a small 
mound just outside the village a stout post of green wood 
was set deep into the ground, and near it was gathered a 
great pile of dry wood and fat pine splinters. This was the 
stake at which the prisoners were to suffer torture, and 
around which the chief interest of the festivities was to 
centre. The feast was to continue for three days, accord¬ 
ing to the number of prisoners on hand. One of them was, 
by his behavior under the ingenious tortures devised espe¬ 
cially for the occasion, to furnish the principal amusement 
for each day. At its close, if he were not already dead, he 
was to be sacrificed. 

It was generally understood that the most important of 
the prisoners, the young white chief, was to be reserved for 
the last and crowning day of the feast, and for him an es¬ 
pecial committee were inventing a series of new and pecul¬ 
iarly painful tortures. 

At all hours of the day crowds of women and children 
gathered about the hut in which Rene was confined, in the 
hope of catching a glimpse of him. Their delight knew no 
bounds when, occasionally, one of the more good-natured 

[ 159 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


of his guards would lift the mat of braided palmetto fibre 
that hung before the entrance, and allow them to peep in 
at him, and taunt him with hints of what he was to undergo. 

Wearily did the long hours pass with the unhappy boy 
as he lay thus friendless among cruel enemies, helplessly 
awaiting the fate from which he shrank so fearfully, and 
yet from which he could conceive no manner of escape. 



[ 160 ] 





Chapter Sixteen 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 

F AR away from the scenes of sorrow, suffering, savage 
cruelty, and savage rejoicing of which the shadowy 
depths of the great swamp were witness, in the pleas¬ 
ant land of the Alachuas, the close of the second day after 
the one on which Rene de Veaux had been led a prisoner 
into the Seminole village presented a picture of peace and 
happy contentment. A light breeze sweeping across the 
broad savannas brought with it the odors of countless flow¬ 
ers ; from the moss-hung trees many birds poured forth 
their evening songs in floods of melody, and all nature was 
full of beauty and rejoicing. 

In the camp of deerskin lodges and palmetto huts clus¬ 
tered beneath the grand trees, and occupied by those In¬ 
dians who acknowledged the good old Micco as their chief, 
all were in the open air enjoying the cool of the evening. 
The hunters had returned from the chase laden with game, 

[ 161 ] 




















THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


and now lay in comfortable attitudes on the soft grass, in¬ 
dulging in a well-earned rest. The women were busy about 
the fires, preparing the evening meal, and the children frol¬ 
icked among the lodges or around the edge of the great 
spring, as free from care and as happy as the birds above 
their heads. From the bank of the river but a short dis¬ 
tance away came the shouts of a party of lads who were 
bathing in the clear waters. To these the Indian mothers 
listened with a certain anxiety, fearful lest they should 
hear the shrill cry of warning that would announce the 
presence of Allapatta, the great alligator. 

In the middle of the camp stood a lodge larger and 
taller than the others, and surmounted by the plume of 
eagles’ feathers that showed it to be that of the chief. In 
front of this lodge, seated on outspread robes, and gravely 
smoking their long-stemmed pipes, were the old chief Micco, 
several of the principal men of his tribe, and Yah-chi-la-ne, 
the young Alachua chief. Behind the old chief, and ready 
to do his slightest bidding, stood a tall, slender, but re¬ 
markably handsome youth, in whose hair was braided a 
scarlet feather that shone against the dark tresses like a 
vivid flame. His face was lighted with a quick intelligence, 
and he evidently took a keen interest in the subject which 
the others were discussing, though, as became his years, he 
took no part in their conversation. 

[ 162 ] 



MICCO, CHIEF OF THE SEMINOLES 









HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


At length the old chief turned to the lad with a kindly 
smile and said, “What is thy opinion, my brave bow- 
bearer? Can there be enmity between these white friends 
of thine and others of their own color who also come from 
across the great waters?” 

Very proud of having his opinion thus asked, Has-se— 
for it was none other than the beloved Indian friend of 
Rene de Veaux—answered, modestly: 

“It seems to me not unlikely that there should be. Do 
not different tribes of our own race and color often war 
against one another?” 

“Well answered, my son,” replied the chief, “thou art 
right, and I am inclined to believe that what we have just 
learned is only too true. If it be, then am I deeply grieved 
for the sad fate of those who were our friends.” 

The tidings of which Micco spoke had been brought 
that day by an Indian runner from a far-eastern tribe. 
They told of the arrival upon the coast of the Spaniards 
under Menendez, and of their destruction of Seloy and 
capture of Fort Caroline. The runner had also told 
of the brutal massacre by Menendez and his soldiers of 
Admiral Ribault and all who escaped with him from the 
wreck of the French ships. These, when they were cast 
ashore by the fearful storm already described, had thrown 
themselves upon the mercy of the Spaniards, and had 

[ 163 ] 




THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 

met only with the mercy dealt out by the sword and the 
dagger. 

That the pale-faces should thus destroy each other had 
been deemed so wonderful and of such importance by those 
eastern tribes who knew of these occurrences, that they 
had despatched runners to all the friendly tribes within 
hundreds of miles to acquaint them with the facts. Many 
of Micco’s warriors were inclined to doubt that such things 
could be, and it was to discuss the matter that he had sum¬ 
moned his advisers and principal braves to his lodge. 

While the chief and his wise men thus talked and smoked 
with a gravity becoming their years and position, and while 
Has-se the bow-bearer, listened to them with an eager in¬ 
terest, there came of a sudden loud shouts from the lads on 
the river-bank. All eyes were turned in that direction, and 
some anxiety was felt lest Allapatta had indeed made his 
appearance, and was endeavoring to secure a meal off one 
of the bathers. 

In another moment, however, all the lads were seen 
trooping towards the camp, and surrounding a young war¬ 
rior who came willingly with them, but who was a stranger 
to all present. The lads conducted him directly to where 
the little circle was formed in front of the chief’s lodge. 
Here one from among them explained that this stranger 
had come down the river alone in a canoe, and had asked 

[ 164 ] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


of them information concerning the land of the Alachuas, 
and particularly for that tribe of Indians led by a chief 
called Micco. 

As the young warrior, whose person bore every evidence 
of long and hasty travel, stood silently before him, the old 
chief said, 

“I am Micco. Who art thou, and what is thy errand 
here?” 

The stranger answered, “I am known as E-chee, and 
am of that place by the great waters called Seloy. He 
whom I seek most anxiously among thy people is named to 
me as thy son, Has-se the bow-bearer.” 

“Then is thy search ended,” replied Micco, “for Has-se, 
my son and bow-bearer, is even here in attendance. What 
is thy business with him?” 

As Has-se, greatly surprised at being thus singled out, 
stepped forward, the stranger drew from his breast a scarlet 
flamingo feather. It was exactly like the one that glowed 
so vividly amid the dark tresses of the young bow-bearer, 
and from it hung a slender gold chain, to which was at¬ 
tached a golden pin. Handing it to Has-se, E-chee said: 

“He who sends thee this token is in danger of speedily 
losing his life, and he prays that thou wilt come to his 
rescue.” 

Eagerly seizing the feather, Has-se exclaimed, “It comes 

[ 165 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


from Ta-lah-lo-ko, the young white chief! Where is he, 
and in what danger?” 

Then, while all present listened with the closest atten¬ 
tion, E-chee told of the destruction of Seloy and the cap¬ 
ture of Fort Caroline by the Spaniards; of his own capture, 
and that of Rene de Veaux and two other white men, by 
the Seminoles; of his escape, and of the terrible fate now 
awaiting those still in the hands of the outlaws. 

When he had finished, Has-se, who had followed the 
story with breathless attention and flashing eyes, turned to 
the chief and said: 

“My father, this pledge I would redeem with life itself, 
for he who sends it is my best beloved friend and brother.” 

“And if he still lives, and it can be accomplished, he 
shall yet be saved,” answered the old chief, promptly, with 
the fire of a young warrior blazing in his eyes. Then of 
E-chee he asked, “Dost thou know the trail back to this 
den of wolves? and is thy strength sufficient to allow of 
thy immediate departure to guide a party of my warriors 
to it?” 

“As the wounded deer knows the trail marked by his 
own blood, so know I it; and if my strength should fail, 
hatred of these Seminoles would take its place and still 
bear me on,” was the answer. 

“It is well spoken,” said the old chief. Then turning 

[ 166 ] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


to Yah-chi-la-ne, his son-in-law, he said, “Take thou twenty 
picked braves, my eagle, and with them find out this hid¬ 
ing-place of Seminoles. If Ta-lah-lo-ko still lives, effect his 
rescue, and that of the other prisoners, and return with 
them. I send no more with thee, for fear that with a 
stronger party thy hot blood would lead thee to attack 
this nest of swamp foxes. Such a measure could only re¬ 
sult in failure; for if it be situated as this young man 
describes, not the whole force of our tribe, together with 
that of thy brave Alachuas, could prevail against it. There¬ 
fore the rescue must be effected by cunning and not by 
mere valor; but take thou careful note of the locality, and 
bring again word to me. If there is any chance of success 
in attacking it, we will then send forth a war-party that 
shall blot from existence this plague-spot.” 

Gladly did the brave Yah-chi-la-ne set about the execu¬ 
tion of this order; and within an hour he and his war-party 
of twenty picked braves, of whom Has-se was the first 
chosen, were ready to start on their dangerous mission. 

During that hour E-chee, who was to be their guide, 
had bathed in the life-giving waters of the spring and eaten 
a hearty meal; so that he now felt like a new man, and 
equal to any amount of fresh hardships and fatigue. 

In the darkness of the early night the little party en¬ 
tered their canoes, and with lusty strokes of the paddles 

[ 167 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


started swiftly up the narrow river towards the terrible 
swamp, and the more terrible scenes that it concealed. 

E-chee occupied the foremost canoe with Yah-chi-la-ne 
and Has-se; and as they sped onward he told them at 
greater length than before of the tragic events of the past 
few days, and of the captivity of Ta-lah-lo-ko. 

He also told the story of his own escape, which would 
doubtless have interested the Seminoles greatly could they 
have heard it. Having made up his,mind that if he was to 
be of service to the young white chief he must set about it 
immediately, he had determined to attempt an escape on 
the very night of his arrival at the Seminole village. As he 
knew that he would not be permitted on any account to 
pass the guard at the end of the trail, he conceived a plan 
that would draw the sentinel from his post for a few mo¬ 
ments, and as soon as darkness came on proceeded to put 
it into execution. 

He simply procured a billet of heavy water-soaked wood, 
that would sink like a stone, and carried it, undiscovered, 
to a thicket on the edge of the island near the end of the 
trail. There he flung his Seminole head-dress of feathers 
upon the ground, chanted a few notes of a death-song, 
cried out that he was thus about to rejoin his own people, 
and threw the billet of wood into the dark waters, where, 
with a loud splash, it instantly sank from sight. Then he 

[ 168 ] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


crept noiselessly from the spot, and when the sentinel 
reached the thicket he had gained the unguarded trail, 
and, without waiting to listen to the comments upon his 
supposed suicide, made off with all speed. He had hap¬ 
pily succeeded in retaining his footing upon the uncertain 
pathway, and in safely reaching the spot at the head of 
the lagoon where the Seminole canoes were hidden. Taking 
possession of one of these, he had travelled night and day 
towards the land of the Alachuas, guided by the directions 
given him by Rene. 

Has-se and Yah-chi-la-ne listened attentively to this 
tale, and at its conclusion commended E-chee highly for 
the skill and bravery with which he had effected his escape 
and made his way to their encampment. Then they talked 
of their chances of still finding Rene alive, and of how they 
should rescue him, until E-chee, utterly exhausted by his 
prolonged efforts, dropped into a profound slumber, from 
which he did not awaken until daylight. 

Meantime, in the Seminole village the preparations for 
the great Feast of Rejoicing had been completed, and it 
had been begun on the very day of E-cliee’s arrival in 
Micco’s camp, and of the setting forth of the rescuing 
party. For two days Rene de Veaux listened with a sick¬ 
ening dread to the sounds of savage revelry that pene¬ 
trated the hut in which he lay. He heard the continuous 

[1G9] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


beating of the kas-a-lal-ki, or Indian drum, and the rattle 
of the terrapin shells, filled with dried palmetto berries, 
that accompanied the dancing. He heard the fierce, wild 
shouts and yells of the savages and shuddered at them. 
Above all he heard, and attempted to close his ears to the 
sound, the cries of agony forced from those of his own race 
who suffered torture at the stake. Of all these sounds he 
could only guess the meaning; for none came near him 
save the guard who brought him food and water, but who 
refused to speak to him, and once Chitta came and stood 
over him with a smile of triumph lighting his dark features. 
As he turned away he said, as though speaking to himself: 

“On the morrow we shall see of what stuff pale-faced 
chiefs are made.” 

This was all, but to the quick understanding of the cap¬ 
tive boy it meant everything. He knew at once that his 
turn had come, and that with the light of another day he 
would be led forth, and by his sufferings afford a brief 
amusement to a horde of yelling savages. 

Could he endure it? Would his strength bear him 
bravely to the bitter end? Or would he too break down 
and cry out as he had heard the others? The agony of 
such thoughts was too great for the poor friendless lad, 
and, throwing himself face downward upon the ground, he 
burst into bitter tears. 


[ 170 ] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


How long he lay thus he knew not. At last, after pass¬ 
ing what seemed like hours of anguish, he rose slowly to 
his knees and poured forth his whole soul in prayer to One 
who had also been tortured, and knew the agony that pre¬ 
ceded such sufferings. His prayer was for deliverance; or 
if that might not be, then for His presence to support and 
strengthen him in the hour of trial. 

Having thus resigned all care of his own affairs, and 
placed them with the only One who could bring him peace 
and strength, the boy felt greatly comforted, and as though 
he should bear bravely whatever tortures might be devised 
for him. 

His cheerfulness astonished the guard who brought in 
his supper of sof-ka (soup) and koonti-katki (starch-root), 
and he thought within himself, “He cannot know what 
awaits him on the morrow; but he will wear a different 
face when he sees the stake.” 

Rene had hardly finished eating with a good appetite 
his rather scanty meal, when the guard again entered and 
loosened his bonds, and he was led forth from the hut for 
the first time since his arrival in the village. Guarded by a 
tall warrior on either side, he was forced to head a sort of 
triumphal procession, and, accompanied by the sound of the 
rattles and the kas-a-lal-ki, to march through and around the 
village, to be gazed at and taunted by its entire population. 

[ 171 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


The lad walked with a firm tread, in spite of his pain¬ 
fully swollen ankles, that had been cruelly bound for so 
long a time that they now hardly supported him. His 
head was proudly lifted, and his youthful countenance bore 
so brave and fearless a look that all who saw him marvelled 
at it. It also caused them great joy, for they said one to 
another, “He is so brave that the tortures must be many 
and long before he will cry out, and we shall have rare 
sport with him on the morrow.” 

As this noisy procession passed on that side of the vil¬ 
lage nearest the end of the trail that led away from the 
island through the swamp, it attracted the attention of the 
warrior who was there on guard. So great was his curiosity 
to see what was going on that he allowed it to carry him a 
few yards from his post to a point where he could obtain 
a better view. 

While he thus stood, neglecting his duty for a moment 
and with his back turned to the trail, three dark figures, 
hardly distinguishable from the twilight shadows, glided 
noiselessly and swiftly from it. An instant later they had 
vanished in the little thicket from which E-chee had flung 
his billet of wood into the water on the night of his escape 
from the Seminoles. 

The procession passed on, and the careless sentinel re¬ 
turned to his post, filled with thoughts of what was to take 

[ 172 ] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


place on the morrow, but as utterly unconscious of the 
three pairs of eyes that regarded him from the thicket as 
though no human beings save himself existed. Could he 
have seen them, he would have instantly known them for 
those of enemies, for he would have recognized E-chee, 
though Has-se and Yah-chi-la-ne were strangers to him. 

It was indeed these three friends and would-be rescuers 
of Rene de Veaux, who had thus been fortunate enough to 
gain the island without opposition and without bloodshed. 
From the time of their starting they had made no stop 
until they had reached the head of the little lagoon and 
taken to the trail through the swamps. Under E-chee’s 
guidance they had followed it safely and without meeting 
a soul, so taken up were the Seminoles with their fes¬ 
tivities. Within a short distance of the island Yah-chi- 
la-ne had halted his men, and bade them remain where 
they were while he, with Has-se and E-chee, approached 
more closely to the village, to discover the best mode of 
operation. 

Unperceived, they had stolen close up to the warrior 
who guarded the end of the trail, and for some time they 
lay hidden within bow-shot of him, discussing in the lowest 
of whispers how they should pass him. The timely ap¬ 
proach of the procession, with Rene at its head, had, by 
diverting his attention for a few moments, offered an 

[ 173 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


opportunity too good to be neglected. They had seized it ? 
slipped past the unsuspecting guard, and thus safely ac¬ 
complished the first stage of their difficult undertaking. 

As they lay concealed in the thicket, awaiting a later 
hour of the night, and for the revellers in the village to 
seek their lodges, fortune again favored them. Dense black 
clouds gradually spread over the sky, one by one the stars 
disappeared, the air grew thick and heavy, until at length, 
with a blinding flash, a terrific thunder-storm burst upon 
the village. Taking advantage of the intense darkness, the 
three made their way swiftly, but with every precaution 
against discovery, among the now silent lodges, until, guided 
by E-chee, they reached the rear of the palmetto hut in 
which Rene was confined. 

The lightning revealed to them the motionless figure of 
a warrior standing in front of it, and E-chee, lying flat on 
the wet ground, with a keen-headed arrow fitted to the 
string of his bow, was left to watch him. Upon the slight¬ 
est alarm being given, the arrow would have found its way 
to his heart, and the three, taking Rene with them, would 
have attempted a desperate flight. As long, however, as 
all remained quiet and they could work undisturbed, they 
were to try another plan. 

While E-chee kept watch, Yah-chi-la-ne and Has-se, 
with the knives given them by Rene, attempted to cut an 

[174] 


HAS-SE RECEIVES THE TOKEN 


entrance to the hut through the thick thatch at its rear. 
Fortunately the rain, which beat upon them in torrents, 
prevented any slight sounds they might make from being 
heard, and also moistened the palmetto leaves so that they 
did not crackle, as they would have done had they been 
dry. Thus, though they worked but slowly, they worked 
silently, and gradually cut their way into the interior. 

Upon returning to his prison, after the trying ordeal of 
being subjected to the taunts and stares of the whole vil¬ 
lage, Rene threw himself upon the ground to gain what 
rest he might. Supposing that this was his last night of 
life, his mental sufferings kept him long awake, but at 
length he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Suddenly he 
found himself sitting bolt-upright, as wide-awake as ever in 
his life. At first he supposed his sudden awakening to 
have been caused by a terrific burst of thunder that crashed 
overhead, but in the deep silence that followed he heard 
his own name pronounced in a whisper— 

“Ta-lah-lo-ko!” 

Could he be dreaming? No; it came again— 

“Ta-lah-lo-ko!” 

Truly he was called, and he whispered in reply, “I am 
here.” 

A slight rustling followed, and then the captive boy, 

[ 175 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


whose wildly beating heart seemed like to burst from his 
breast, knew that a friend was beside him, cutting the 
bonds from his wrists and ankles, and whispering: 

“It is Has-se, and thou ait saved, oh, my brother! 

Then tremblingly, and guided by the gentle hand of the 
Indian lad, Rene crept through the opening made by the 
keen knives of his friends. In spite of all precautions, his 
passage through the leaves rustled them so loudly that only 
a violent thunder-clap coming at the same moment pre¬ 
vented the noise from being heard. 

Without a word being spoken, the four made their way 
as swiftly as might be to where the trail left the island. 

The guard at this point was suddenly petrified by su¬ 
perstitious fear at the sight of E-chee, whom he supposed 
to have been drowned. The figure stood in front of him, 
and, as revealed by a flash of lightning, was haggard and 
dripping, as though it had just risen from a watery grave. 

Ere the frightened warrior could give an alarm, a stun¬ 
ning blow from behind felled him to the wet earth, where 
he lay motionless and apparently devoid of life. 


[ 176 ] 


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Chapter Seventeen 

DEATH OF HAS-SE THE SUNBEAM 

O N this night of storm and escape, Cat-sha, the Semi¬ 
nole chief, was more than usually restless. He 
tossed and turned on his couch of robes, but found 
it impossible to sleep. Finally he determined to make one 
of his customary midnight visits of inspection to the sev¬ 
eral guards, and to his sole remaining prisoner, the “young 
white chief.” As he left his lodge Cat-sha bowed his head 
to the bitter storm, and drew his robe more closely about 
him. 

On approaching the hut, in which he imagined the pris¬ 
oner to be spending his last hours of life, he found the 
guard standing before it, motionless, but wide awake, and 
with one corner of his robe drawn over his head to protect 
it somewhat from the pelting rain. Cat-sha questioned 
him as to the safety of the prisoner, and the warrior 

[ 177 ] 
































THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


answered that he had looked in upon him just as the 
storm began, and found him quietly sleeping and securely 
bound. 

The rain had extinguished the watch-fire, which it was 
customary to keep burning in the middle of the village dur¬ 
ing the night, and thus it would be somewhat difficult for 
the Seminole chief to procure a light with which to exam¬ 
ine for himself into the condition of the prisoner. He there¬ 
fore accepted the assurance of the guard that he was still 
safely confined within the hut; for, indeed, how could it 
be otherwise? Such a thing as his escaping seemed too ut¬ 
terly impossible to be worthy a thought. 

So Cat-sha passed on, and bent his steps in the direc¬ 
tion of the sentinel who kept watch at the end of the trail. 
At first he was not to be discovered, nor did he answer 
when challenged, and Cat-sha was rapidly becoming both 
angry and surprised, when all at once he stumbled, and al¬ 
most fell over the prostrate form of him whom he sought. 
The warrior was still unconscious, for the terrible blow that 
felled him had been delivered but a few minutes before 
Cat-sha’s discovery of his condition. 

At this state of affairs, the wily Seminole at once took 
an alarm. To be sure, he reflected that the sentinel might 
have been struck by a lightning-flash or seized with a 
sudden illness. Still he might also have received a blow 

[ 178 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


from the hand of an enemy, and the mere thought that 
such might have gained access to the island, and even 
now be lurking within its limits, made the chief hot with 
anger. 

His first thought was for the safety of the prisoner; and 
leaving the unconscious warrior where he lay, he hurried 
back to the hut he had just left, determined to trust only 
the evidence of his own eyes as to the condition of its occu¬ 
pant. Having after considerable delay procured a torch, 
he entered the hut, where a single glance revealed the star¬ 
tling truth. It was empty, and the severed bonds lying on 
the ground, and the hole cut in the rear wall, at once told 
the whole story. The prisoner of whom he had been so 
proud, the young white chief for whose torture such elabo¬ 
rate preparations had been ipade, and whom he had thought 
to be so safely secured, had escaped. He could not have 
done so unaided; and who had thus boldly penetrated the 
very heart of the village to save him? Such a thing was 
unheard of, and the knowledge that it had been successfully 
accomplished so angered the black-browed chief that he 
rushed from the hut in a terrible passion. As he passed 
the warrior who stood guard at the entrance, and who was 
still unconscious that anything had gone amiss, the angry 
chief struck him a staggering blow in the face as a punish 
ment for his negligence, and then aroused the village. 

[ 179 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


While most of the angry and excited Seminoles searched 
the island and the village itself, in hopes that the escaped 
captive would be found somewhere in the vicinity of his 
late prison-house, Cat-sha followed another plan. Hastily 
gathering together a small band of his best warriors, he 
placed himself at their head, and they left the island by 
the trail. This they followed at the top of their speed, 
hoping that, had the fugitive and those who aided him 
taken it, they might be caught before they reached the 
canoes at the head of the little lagoon. With these went 
Chitta the Snake, whose every instinct had by this time 
become that of the outlaws whose fortunes he had joined, 
and who was rapidly gaining the reputation of being the 
most cruel and vindictive member of their band. 

Although these pursuers exerted themselves to speed, 
they would have made still greater efforts could they have 
known that those whom they sought had passed that way 
but a quarter of an hour before, and were even then de¬ 
layed in their progress by the necessity of supporting, and 
nearly carrying, him whom they had rescued. 

As soon as the first excitement of escape had passed, 
Rene’s swollen ankles began to pain him so keenly that he 
found it almost impossible to walk, and, when he and his 
three rescuers reached the place where the rest of the party 
had remained, he sank to the ground with a groan. 

[ 180 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 

They found the braves who had been left behind so 
impatient of their long delay, and alarmed for their safety, 
that they had been about to advance upon the village to 
learn, and if possible to avenge, the fate that they feared 
had befallen them. These were overjoyed to see their 
leader and his companions once more, and to learn of the 
successful issue of their hazardous undertaking. 

There was no time for the exchange of congratulations, 
and Yah-chi-la-ne ordered the flight to be resumed with 
all haste, at the same time directing two of the strongest 
warriors to support the almost helpless Rene. He himself, 
with E-chee, occupied the post of danger in the rear, while 
Has-se kept as close as possible to his newly recovered friend 
at the head of the little column. 

The storm had by this time passed away, and their path 
was made easier by the light of the full moon, that shone 
with the wonderful brightness peculiar to southern latitudes 
from an unclouded sky. Although this aided them, they 
knew that it also favored the pursuers, whom they felt cer¬ 
tain must ere this have started after them, and many an 
anxious backward glance did Yah-chi-la-ne and E-chee cast 
over their shoulders as they hastened onward. 

In this manner, and without mishap, they finally reached 
the end of the trail at the head of the little lagoon, where 
their canoes had been left. Here all breathed more freely, 

[ 181 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


for they considered themselves almost safe from pursuit, 
and were jubilant over their success. Yah-chi-la-ne would, 
however, allow of no delay even here; but, after seeing 
Rene placed tenderly in the foremost canoe with two of the 
strongest and most prudent of his warriors, he ordered the 
rest to embark with all haste and follow it. 

While they were doing this, he, with Has-se and E-chee, 
busied themselves with the canoes of the Seminoles, of 
which E-chee showed the hiding-place. In these they drove 
great holes, so that they would not float; or if they hap¬ 
pened to lie in the water they cut them adrift, and pushed 
them far from the shore. 

Just as they came to the end of their task, and had 
thus rendered useless the last of the fleet, a wild yell of 
disappointed rage close at hand warned them that their 
enemies were upon them, and that only the most instant 
and speedy flight could save them from their hands. 

The Seminoles had uttered their yell of disappointed 
rage at seeing, by the moonlight, the flashing paddles of 
those canoes that had already departed; for they did not 
at first discover the three who had lingered to destroy or 
render useless the canoes of their own fleet. As these sprang 
into the only one they had left uninjured, and shot out 
from the shore, the Seminoles uttered loud cries of exulta¬ 
tion, and rushed to the hiding-place of their fleet, in order 

[ 182 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


that they might follow and capture these three who were 
now so widely separated from their fellows. 

When they discovered what had been done to their 
canoes, and that they were indeed useless, their fury knew 
no bounds, and they sent flight after flight of arrows whiz¬ 
zing after those who had thus outwitted them. Many of 
these struck the canoe; but all, save one, fell as harmless 
to its occupants as so many drops of rain. 

The one barbed shaft that sped so truly on its fatal mis¬ 
sion was delivered with all the strength of venomous hate, 
just as the canoe was passing out of the lagoon, and be¬ 
yond bow-shot. It struck the gentle Has-se between the 
shoulders, and, piercing his body, protruded its keen point 
from his breast. With a sharp cry the poor lad dropped 
his paddle and sank into the bottom of the boat. 

At this moment the others dared not stop; but, with 
hearts torn with anguish at seeing their best and bravest 
thus stricken, they paddled on, until they had rejoined 
their party and passed beyond the reach of Seminole pur¬ 
suit. 

A few hours later, on a grassy point that projected into 
the river, which was flecked by glints of the sunlight the 
lad loved so well, and which sifted down upon him through 
the moss-draped branches of a venerable oak, Has-se the 

[ 183 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


Sunbeam lay dying. Beside him, and holding one of his 
hands, sat Rene de Veaux, so numbed by this great and 
sudden sorrow that even the comfort of tears was denied 
him, and his eyes were dry and strained. 

“Oh, Has-se, Has-se!” he cried. “To think that it is 
for me that thy life is given, and that for my sake only 
thou art lying here thus stricken to thy death!” 

“Grieve not so sorely, Ta-lah-lo-ko, my brother. A 
brave warrior fears not death in any form; and when it 
comes to him while he is truly performing his duty, it is to 
be hailed with joy for the honor it confers.” 

“But thy life was so full of promise, and they whom 
thou lovest will miss thee so terribly.” 

“If my life had promise, then is that promise fulfilled 
in my death. For those left to mourn I am truly grieved. 
It is for them that, while I am still able to speak, I would 
ask a favor of thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko.” 

“Name it, my brother, and if it be a thing within my 
power to compass, it shall be granted, even according to 
thy wish,” answered Rene. 

A grateful smile lighted the face of the dying lad, and 
Rene felt a faint pressure of the hand clasped in his, as 
Has-se said, almost in a whisper, so weak was he becom¬ 
ing: 

“Thou hast lost thy people: my people are losing a son. 

[ 184 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


Take thou my place. Be to the old chief, my father, a son, 
faithful and true, and to Nethla a brother.” 

Then after a pause, during which he gasped painfully 
for breath, he added, and a questioning look passed over 
his face—“And thou wilt wear the Flamingo Feather?” 

“Gladly will I be thy poor substitute for son and brother 
to those who are dearest to thee, if they will accept of me 
as such,” answered Rene. “As to the Flamingo Feather, 
didst thou not say that its wearing was reserved for the 
chiefs and sons of chiefs of thy people?” 

Very faint came the reply: “One adopted of a chief is 
adopted to all the honors of an own son. His wearing of 
the chief’s token is a sign that he will never leave nor de¬ 
sert his father until death shall part them. Fla—” 

The effort of making this explanation was too great for 
the weakened frame of the dying lad, and it was followed 
by such a terrible flow of blood from the wound that those 
who witnessed it made sure that the end had come. 

But once again the tender eyes were opened, and once 
more came the words to Rene de Veaux, faint but clear: 

“And thou wilt wear the Flamingo Feather?” 

“I will, Has-se! I will!” exclaimed the boy, choked by 
the great sobs that at length came to his relief—“and with 
my life will I be true to its meaning.” 

A smile passed over the face of the dying lad, and there 

[185] 



THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


came into it such a look of great joy and perfect peace that 
it was glorified in the eyes of those who saw him. Then 
Rene felt once more the gentle pressure of his hand and 
heard one soft sigh. 

With its utterance the brave soul of Has-se the Sun¬ 
beam took its flight, and, at the same moment, the sun 
sank from view, amid the unspeakable glories of the west¬ 
ern sky. 

Very tenderly they lifted the lifeless form, and carefully 
laying it in the bottom of a canoe, resumed that journey 
towards the land of the Alachuas which had been thus 
sorrowfully interrupted. 

The withdrawal of the arrow that had pierced Has-se’s 
body had caused him the most intolerable agony; but he 
had borne it without a murmur, and only his drawn features 
and clinched hands had indicated his sufferings. A stream 
of his life’s blood that could not be wholly checked had fol¬ 
lowed the arrow upon its removal, and the same day that 
witnessed his receipt of the wound also witnessed his death. 

He never knew whose hand had sped the shaft upon its 
deadly flight; but, when it was withdrawn from his body, 
the others had noted, rudely cut upon it, the form of a 
serpent, which was the token of Chitta the Snake. Thus 
had the Snake gained a bitter revenge for his overthrow, 
months before, in the games at the Feast of Ripe Corn. 

[ 186 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


Sad indeed was the return of Yah-chi-la-ne and his 
party to the pleasant village beside the great spring, in the 
land of the Alachuas. The sight of the rescued captive was 
indeed greeted with joyous shouts of welcome; but they 
were hushed, almost ere they were uttered, as those assem¬ 
bled on the river bank noted the black paint with which, 
in token of mourning, the returning warriors had covered 
their faces. 

In heavy-hearted silence did his comrades carry their 
dead back into the circle of lodges, from which he had de¬ 
parted so bravely and loyally to the rescue of his friend. 
As they bore it into the lodge of Micco, his father, the old 
warrior sat as though all hope and joy had departed from 
his life forever; while outside, the air was rent by the wail¬ 
ings and bitter lamentations of women. 

They laid him to rest, after the manner of his people, 
in a tomb built of great tree-trunks, so cunningly fashioned 
that no wild beast should ever disturb its contents. Beside 
him they laid whatever he had possessed of value, and the 
things he had prized most highly. The young girls of the 
tribe threw over the sleeping form great handfuls of sweet- 
scented wild flowers; and, ere the tomb was closed, Rene 
de Veaux placed in the calmly folded hands the scarlet 
feather, with the slender gold chain and pin attached to it, 
that had been a token between them. 

[ 187 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


As they finished the simple rites, and were about to 
turn away from the spot, the old chief, thus bereft of the 
pride and hope of his declining years, took the hand of the 
white lad in his, and, in a voice that faltered with his 
strong emotion said, so that all present could hear him: 

“I have lost a son, and I have gained a son. Has-se 
has gone from me, but Ta-lah-lo-ko has come in his place. 
It is your chief who speaks, and as the son of your chief 
shall this lad dwell among you.” 

Then the beautiful Nethla, taking Rene’s other hand, 
kissed him gently on the forehead, and said: 

“In the name of him who has gone from us I welcome 
thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko, as a brother.” 

As she spoke she offered him a Flamingo Feather, the 
same that had gleamed among the dark tresses of the dead 
lad. Rene took it, and twining it in his own sunny curls, 
said, in a clear voice: 

“As the son of a chief I wear this emblem. Its signifi¬ 
cance has been made known to me, and, even as I vowed 
to him who lies yonder, I will, from this time forth, en¬ 
deavor to act truly the part of a son to this old man. I 
will never fail him or desert him until death shall part us.” 

So Rene de Veaux became, to all intents and purposes, 
a member of this tribe of Indians. The Flamingo Feather 
which he wore proclaimed his position among them to all 

[ 188 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


men, and obtained for him that regard and respect which 
his own manliness and ready tact enabled him to retain 
and increase. He became a skilful hunter, and from his 
Indian companions he soon acquired all their knowledge of 
woodcraft. In return for this he taught them so many of 
the useful arts of his own civilization, that his reputation 
for wisdom spread far and wide over the land, and many 
from distant tribes came to learn of him. 

From time to time rumors were brought to these In¬ 
dians of the terrible cruelties practised by the Spaniards 
upon such natives of the country as fell into their hands. 
For this reason the tribe into which Rene had been adopted 
returned not to their own lands in the far east, but remained 
in the land of the Alachuas. With these people they be¬ 
came so closely united by ties of kinship and mutual inter¬ 
est that after a while no distinctions were drawn between 
them. Thus, upon the death of the Alachua chief, the good 
Micco was chosen to succeed him; and from that time he 
ruled over the united tribes. Among his wise men and 
principal advisers, those upon whom he relied the most were 
Yah-chi-la-ne and Rene de Veaux. 

At the time of Has-se’s death, Micco’s tribe and the 
Alachuas had determined to be no longer annoyed by the 
neighborhood of the Seminole outlaws, and had despatched 
a powerful war-party against them. When, however, this 

[ 189 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


party reached the island village in the depths of the great 
swamp, they found it deserted. By some means the Semi- 
noles had obtained a knowledge of their coming, and had 
fled from that part of their country. The Alachuas de¬ 
stroyed their village, and from that time for more than a 
year they were heard of no more, save by rumor, which 
located them among the savages of the far south. 

Upon a certain occasion, after he had been for many 
months a member of the tribe, Rene led a hunting-party, 
who sought to secure a large number of alligators, to the 
edge of the great swamp. One night as they sat about 
their camp-fire, gravely smoking their stone pipes, and lis¬ 
tening to some of the wild traditions of their race, related 
by the oldest of the party, they were suddenly startled, 
and all but Rene were greatly alarmed, by a flash of light 
and a loud explosion. It sounded from a small grove of 
trees not far from them, and Rene instantly recognized it 
as the explosion of a fire-arm. 

As it had been followed by a loud cry of pain, and as 
groans were still to be heard, he succeeded in convincing his 
companions that the terrifying sound was of human origin, 
and in persuading them to go with him in search of its cause. 

In the grove they found a young Indian writhing in 
agony upon the ground, while near him lay the shattered 
remains of a Spanish arquebuse or musket. He had evi- 

[ 190 ] 


DEATH OF HAS-SE 


dently attempted to discharge it at some member of the 
hunting-party, and, either because it was overloaded or was 
too badly rusted to be of service, it had burst in his hands. 
Although he had escaped other wounds, an examination of 
his face showed that his eyesight had been totally destroyed 
by the burning powder, and it was the pain thus caused 
that had drawn from him the cries and groans they had 
heard. 

In spite of the disfiguration of his face Rene knew him 
the moment he was dragged within the light of the camp¬ 
fire, and it was with sensations of dread and horror that he 
gazed upon the once familiar features. When he explained 
to his followers the nature of the weapon this enemy had 
attempted to use against them, they were filled with rage 
and would have instantly slain the wretch, but Rene bade 
them spare his life. 

“I know him,” he said, “and he is too vile a being to 
be worthy to meet death at your hands. Resides, if he be 
now released, a lifetime of blindness will prove even a 
greater punishment than any you can inflict. Lead him 
far out upon the trail, and there leave him. Others must 
have accompanied him, and they will doubtless find and 
care for their own.” 

So it was done as Rene ordered, and on the following 
day no trace of the wounded man could be found; but the 

[191 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


imprint of other moccasined feet, near where he had been 
left, showed that his friends had discovered and borne him 
away. 

When Rene was afterwards questioned as to who he 
was, he answered, 

“Chitta, the Seminole.” 



s. 



[ 192 ] 


Chapter Eighteen 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 

T HREE years had passed from the time the Spaniards 
established their power in this part of the New 
World, by their fearful massacres of the French at 
Fort Caroline and among the sand dunes of the coast, below 
San Augustin. They were years of cruelty and injustice on 
the part of the Spaniards, and of great suffering to those 
nations who fell into their hands; but to the dwellers in 
the distant land of the Alachuas, among whom Rene de 
Veaux had taken up his abode, they were years of peace, 
prosperity, and contentment. The little encampment, that 
the good chief Micco had established beside the great spring, 
had grown into a populous village, surrounded, in all direc¬ 
tions, by broad fields of waving maize and yellow pump¬ 
kins, besides an abundance of other things pleasant and 
useful. The forests still teemed with game, and the rivers 

[ 193 ] 














THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


with fish, and the skill of the Indian hunter was such that 
both could be obtained in plenty at all seasons. 

In this beautiful land, with every want anticipated, sur¬ 
rounded by devoted friends, and leading a life of active 
usefulness, it would seem as though no man could be un¬ 
happy. There was, however, at least one among its dwell¬ 
ers who was so, and he was their ruler, the chief of them 
all, whose word was their law, and whose slightest com¬ 
mand they hastened to obey. They called him Ta-lah-lo-ko 
the White Chief, though in another land he would be 
known as Rene de Veaux. 

It was a great longing to visit once more this other 
land, the fair France of his birth, and the apparent impos¬ 
sibility of ever doing so, that made the white chief un¬ 
happy, and caused his people to regard him sorrowfully, 
as one troubled by an evil spirit. The old medicine men 
of the tribe used their most powerful incantations against 
it, and made charms with which to drive it away; but 
they did not succeed, because they could not understand 
it, and did not even know its name, which was “Home¬ 
sickness.” 

When the good old chief Micco died, which he did a 
few months before the time with which this chapter opens, 
greatly lamented by all his people, the person who would 
have naturally succeeded to his office was Yah-chi-la-ne 

[ 194 ] 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


the Eagle. When it was offered to him, this brave young 
Indian declared that he was not nearly so wise or fit to be¬ 
come a ruler as his friend Ta-lah-lo-ko, who, though younger 
in years than he, was so much older in wisdom that his 
equal did not exist in all the land. He therefore begged 
them to hail Ta-lah-lo-ko as head chief of the nation. 
Greatly to Rene’s astonishment, this was done, and he 
found himself anxiously wondering how he should act in 
this new and unexpected position. 

His modesty, bravery, and ready tact were, however, 
as quick to aid him now as when they had guided the boy 
Rene de Veaux on his perilous journey in search of food for 
the starving garrison of Fort Caroline; and, day by day, 
the white chief steadily gained the love and approbation of 
his people. 

He had entered upon the performance of his new duties 
with all his heart and soul, and it was only within a few 
days that he had felt the great longing to see once more his 
own land, and that his thoughts had been constantly turned 
towards the old chateau in which his early boyhood had 
been passed. He felt so strongly that in some way he was 
to receive tidings from his native land, that one day, when 
a travel-stained runner from the East was brought to his 
lodge, he at once asked, “ What word dost thou bring of the 

French? ” 


[ 195 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


The runner stared at him for a moment in amazement 
and then answered: 

“I bring word that the French have come again. With 
the new moon three great thunder canoes, bearing the ban¬ 
ner of lilies, reached the end of the salt-waters. It is 
thought there will soon be fighting between those who come 
in them and the bad white men who already hold the land. 
The dwellers of the country of sunrise, by the great river, 
send a prayer to the chief of the Alachuas. It is that he 
will come, and with his wisdom aid these white men, and 
then tear down and tread in the sands the yellow banner of 
death and bondage.” 

“Ay, that will I, and right gladly, not only with my 
wisdom, which is but little, but with a hundred warriors, 
which is more to the purpose!” exclaimed Rene in a tone of 
such excitement as greatly to astonish the runner once 
more. Springing to his feet, the white chief ordered his 
bow-bearer, who was in attendance, to summon to him, 
without delay, all the principal men of the tribe, and in 
particular the chief Yah-chi-la-ne. He was also to issue 
orders to his own war-party of a hundred picked braves to 
prepare themselves, with all possible despatch, for a forced 
journey to the great river of sunrise. 

These messages from their chief caused the greatest ex¬ 
citement and commotion among the Alachuas. They were 

[ 196 ] 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


obeyed without hesitation, and while the braves of his own 
war-party restrung their bows, or secured new heads of 
keenest flint to their lances, the principal men, with Yah- 
chi-la-ne among them, repaired to his lodge. 

No word was spoken until all were seated and their 
stone pipes were well alight, when Rene, standing in their 
midst, addressed them and said: 

“Wise men of the Alachuas: it is now many moons 
since thou didst receive Ta-lah-lo-ko into thy tribe, and 
open wide thy hearts to him. In all this time he has been 
as one with thee in everything. Now he would go. His 
own people, the pale-faces who dwell beyond the land of 
sunrise, and beyond the great salt-waters, have come again. 
The heart of Ta-lah-lo-ko sings for joy within him at the 
thought of seeing them once more. The pledge of the Fla¬ 
mingo Feather holds him no longer, for the old man to 
whom it was given has passed away. But the singing and 
the gladness of his heart are turned to sighing and to sad¬ 
ness by the thought that he may never again see the land 
of the Alachuas. This may not be; for if it is possible for 
him, he will come again from beyond the great waters. 
Now he must go to his own people, who have many wrongs 
to set right, and must do much fighting before they turn 
again towards the sunrise. They call for help from the 
brave Alachuas. Ta-lah-lo-ko and his own war-party will 

[ 197 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


hasten to them. When the fighting is done, they will re¬ 
turn; but he must go first to the land of the pale-faces. 
Until he comes again, the brave and wise Yah-chi-la-ne will 
guide your councils, and lead you on the war-path. Ta-lah- 
lo-ko has spoken.” 

As Rene sat down, Yah-chi-la-ne and others sprang to 
their feet, and begged him not to leave them. Yah-chi- 
la-ne declared that as he had taken the place of Has-se the 
Sunbeam, so he had become a flood of sunlight to them, 
and that in losing him they would be buried in darkness. 

These appeals stirred his feelings deeply, but could not 
alter his fixed purpose; and when they saw that he was 
determined to leave them, they opposed him no longer, 
but only begged of him that he would speedily return. 

So Rene de Veaux, at the head of his own war-party of 
picked Alachua braves, set forth once more on the same 
journey that he had now made so many times, and under 
such different circumstances. 

As the canoe which bore him shot out from the shore 
into the middle of the river, and was headed up against the 
current, there arose from the multitude collected on the 
bank a mighty cry of lamentation for the young chief who 
was departing from them. For answer Rene, standing up 
so that all might see him, took the Flamingo Feather that 
was entwined in his hair, waved it above his head, and re- 

[ 198 ] 



■-'--.■-sir--' 






RENE TOOK THE FLAMINGO FEATHER AND WAVED IT ABOVE HIS HEAD 












THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 

placed it. This was a sign that, though he was leaving 
them, he would return again, and by it they were greatly 
comforted. 

Once started, the party moved with the greatest speed, 
those who plied the paddles being frequently relieved by 
fresh men, and never before had Rene accomplished the 
journey so quickly. At its various stages he received many 
reminders of former passages over the same waters, and of 
the brave and loyal Has-se who had accompanied him on 
most of them. Here was the point where his loving and 
beloved friend had so peacefully breathed his last, and 
there, at the edge of the great swamp, the place where 
Chitta had met with his self-inflicted punishment. Now 
they passed the mouth of the little lagoon, from the head 
of which the trail led away through the dark mazes of the 
swamp to the Seminole island, rising from its slimy waters; 
and soon they were gliding swiftly down with the current 
of that other river, that flowed eastward to the coast. 

Finally they passed its last bend, and the leading canoe, 
in which Rene sat, shot out into the open waters of the 
sound. As it did so the heart of the white chief gave a 
great leap within him, and for a moment a mist swam be¬ 
fore his eyes. He had not expected to find his countrymen 
before passing the vast salt-marshes and reaching the River 
of May; but, to his astonishment, he had already come 

[ 199 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


upon them. Within a mile of him lay three tall ships, rid¬ 
ing gracefully at their anchors, and from their mast-heads 
floated proudly in the light of the setting sun the lily ban¬ 
ner of France. 

They were indeed the ships of his own people, whom he 
had never dared hope to meet again. There was the em¬ 
blem of his own land, which, when he last beheld it, had 
been torn, amid sorrow and defeat, from above the walls of 
Fort Caroline, to give place to the yellow ensign of Spain. 

When Rene had controlled his tumultuous feelings suffi¬ 
ciently to speak, he gave orders for his warriors to proceed 
to the shell mound in the midst of the marshes, on which 
he and Has-se had rested after their flight from Fort 
Caroline, and there encamp and await his coming. His 
own canoe he ordered to be directed, with all speed, to¬ 
wards the ships. 

As he approached them closely, he saw that he was ob¬ 
served by many curious eyes from their decks, and finally 
a hoarse voice commanded him to halt and explain his 
presence there. 

At his order, his men backed water so stoutly with their 
paddles that the canoe rested motionless. Standing erect 
in it, Rene, speaking in French, to the great surprise of 
those whom he addressed, and wearing a bold air that sat 
well upon him, asked: 


[200 ] 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


“Who commands here? and in which ship is he to be 
found?” 

There was a slight stir on the quarter-deck of the ship 
nearest him; and, from a group of gentlemen who occu¬ 
pied it, one, wearing a plumed hat and a velvet mantle, 
from beneath which peeped the richly jewelled hilt of his 
sword, stood forth and answered courteously: 

“I, Dominique de Gourges, chevalier of France, am ad¬ 
miral here at thy service. Who art thou, that while in 
savage guise yet speakest our tongue as though born to it?” 

“I am known as Ta-lah-lo-ko, and am chief of that west¬ 
ern tribe of Indians called Alachuas,” answered Rene, who 
was not yet ready to discover his true identity. “If it suit 
thy convenience, I would have a word with thee in private 
concerning important matters.” 

Upon this De Gourges invited his visitor to come on 
board the ship and meet him in his own cabin, where he 
would with pleasure converse with him. 

As Rene stepped upon the quarter-deck, and passed 
through the group of gentlemen who still occupied it, they 
regarded him with the liveliest curiosity. It was not un¬ 
mixed with admiration; for his tall and handsome though 
slight figure was set off by a costume which, though becom¬ 
ing to him and fashioned with the best of Indian art, was 

strange to their civilized eyes. 

[ 201 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


The long tresses of his sunny hair were bound by a sim¬ 
ple fillet, and in them was twined the Flamingo Feather 
that proclaimed his rank. His face was tanned by the burn¬ 
ing suns of that country to a shade but little lighter than 
that of his Indian companions, and after the custom of the 
Alachuas he had added to it here and there a touch of war¬ 
paint. From neck to feet he was clad in garments of fawn- 
skin, that fitted like a glove to his person. These had been 
made soft as velvet by the Indian process of curing, and 
were exquisitely embroidered and fringed. Over his shoul¬ 
ders was flung a light mantle of feathers, woven of the glis¬ 
tening plumage of many rare birds and fastened by a clasp 
of two great pearls set in virgin gold. In his hand he 
bore a slender lance, of which the shaft was of dark wood 
highly polished, and the tip was a splinter of purest rock- 
crystal. 

He crossed the quarter-deck, and descended to the ad¬ 
miral’s cabin with a proud and dignified bearing, as became 
his station, but which greatly belied his feelings, for he was 
wellnigh overwhelmed by the joyful emotions he experi¬ 
enced at being once more among his countrymen. 

In the cabin he was most courteously received by De 
Gourges, and invited to a seat; but before taking it he 
inquired with a trembling voice: 

“Oh, sir, know ye aught of a certain noble chevalier of 

[ 202 ] 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


France, by name Rene de Laudonniere, and whether he be 
still alive or no?” 

“Ay, that I do. He of whom thou speakest is not only 
alive, but is well known to me. Not only that, but it is 
owing to his pitiful tale of cruel wrong done to him and 
those with him in this country that I am here at this pres¬ 
ent moment. But thou art overcome with emotion. What 
had he to do with thee?” 

Upon thus learning that his dearly beloved uncle had 
escaped, and was yet alive, Rene had sunk into a seat, and 
buried his face in his hands. In a moment he obtained 
mastery of himself, and looking up, answered: 

“He was all and more to me than an own father; for 
I am his only nephew, Rene de Veaux.” 

At the utterance of this name De Gourges sprang to his 
feet, and regarding his visitor intently, exclaimed: 

“What! Do I hear thee truly? Art thou indeed that 
Rene de Veaux so bitterly mourned by the Chevalier Lau¬ 
donniere, and not the savage thou seemest? If so, there is 
the best part of my mission to this new world accomplished 
by this meeting.” 

As Rene satisfied the other of his identity as the nephew 
of Laudonniere, De Gourges embraced him warmly, and 
would have at once proclaimed the joyful intelligence to 
those on deck; but the young man begged of him to 

[ 203 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


refrain from so doing for yet a short while, as there was 
still much that he would say to him alone. 

De Gourges consented to this, and Rene continued: 

“Although I am Rene de Veaux, I am also Ta-lah-lo-ko, 
head chief of the Alachua nation, and I have brought with 
me a party of chosen warriors which I will place at thy 
service, if, perchance, thou canst make use of them. Wilt 
thou not describe to me the nature of thy business in these 
parts, and something of thy plans, and what has been al¬ 
ready accomplished?” 

“That will I gladly, my noble savage,” answered De 
Gourges, with a smile, “and truly I could but lately have 
made a most excellent use of these brave warriors of thine, 
whose service thou dost so promptly tender.” 

Then the admiral gave Rene a brief history of his expe¬ 
dition, its purpose and results, which was in effect as fol¬ 
lows: 

He himself had been a prisoner in Spanish dungeons, 
and had suffered as a Spanish galley-slave. Upon making 
his escape and returning to his own country, he had met 
his old friend, the Chevalier Laudonniere, and learned from 
him of the terrible massacres of the Huguenots, perpetrated 
by Menendez and the soldiers at San Augustin. Upon 
hearing this tale of wrong and outrage, he had then and 
there determined to devote his fortune and his life, if that 

[204 ] 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


should be necessary, to the punishment of these same 
Spaniards, and to the rescue of such of his countrymen as 
might have escaped with their lives, but who still remained 
in the New World. 

By selling his estates, he had obtained the means to fit 
out three ships, and in them had induced a brave company 
of soldiers and seamen to accompany him upon what he 
considered his holy mission. 

Ten days before the coming of Rene he had arrived off 
San Augustin, where the Spaniards, supposing his ships to 
be of their own nation, had fired a salute of welcome from 
the guns of their newly erected fort. 

As De Gourges deemed this place too strong for him to 
attack, and as he only wished to recover that which had 
belonged to the French, he had not tarried there, but had 
sailed northward to the River of May, the name of which 
the Spaniards had changed to Rio de San Mateo. 

He found its entrance guarded by two small forts, one 
on either side, which Menendez had built after his capture 
of Fort Caroline. As the French ships were of too great 
draught to cross the bar, De Gourges had organized an ex¬ 
pedition of small boats, and had carried these works, one 
after another, by assault. 

Having thus effected a landing, and being joined by a 
large body of Indians, who had joyfully hailed him as a 

[ 205 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


deliverer from Spanish cruelties, he had marched to the at¬ 
tack of Fort San Mateo, by which name Fort Caroline wa* 
now called. 

Through a series of blunders on the part of its Spanish 
commandant he had been able to capture this fort with 
comparative ease. By the aid of powder and fire the walls 
of all these forts had been levelled with the ground, and 
their total destruction effected. 

Having thus accomplished the main objects of his ex¬ 
pedition, De Gourges had regained his ships, and sailed 
still farther northward, to the deep harbor in which Rene 
had discovered him, and in which he was now preparing 
for the homeward voyage. 

“This/' he said, in conclusion, “brings my narrative to 
the present date, and my expedition to the place in which 
I am granted the great blessing of a meeting with thee, my 
noble countryman, who art become at the same time a 
noble savage.” 

Then in his turn Rene gave an account of his experi¬ 
ences at the overthrow of Fort Caroline, his capture by 
the Seminoles, his rescue from them, and his subsequent life 
and rise to power among the Alachuas. To all of this De 
Gourges listened with breathless attention; and when Rene 
had finished, he exclaimed: 

“No knight of olden time had ever adventures 

[ 206 ] 


more 


THE FRENCH HAVE COME AGAIN 


thrilling than these of thine, and greatly do I envy thee 
thy brave record.” 

After this exchange of experiences the two emerged from 
the admiral’s cabin, where they had been so long closeted 
as to excite the liveliest curiosity of those on deck. When 
Rene was made known to the officers of De Gourges’ com¬ 
mand, he was most joyfully welcomed by them, as one of 
whom they had heard brave things, and who was most 
worthy to command their respect and esteem. 



[ 207 ] 






Chapter Nineteen 

THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 

T HE moment in which the Chevalier Dominique de 
Gourges embraced the long-lost Rene de Veaux, and 
welcomed him as one who had been dead, but had 
again come to life, was one of as sincere pleasure as he had 
ever experienced. In his destruction of the Spaniards he 
had been filled with a fierce joy; for, according to his view, 
he was performing an act of solemn justice, and rendering 
the world a service in thus ridding it of those whom he 
regarded only as murderers and pirates. 

It was, however, with far different feelings from these 
that he welcomed his young countryman, and he felt that 
to bear him back to France and restore him to the loving 
old man who had so long mourned him as dead, would in¬ 
deed be a triumph worth all the other results of his expe¬ 
dition. He was not certain that Rene was disposed to give 

[ 208 ] 
























THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 


up the honors of his present position and return with him 
to France and civilization. Therefore, after he had intro¬ 
duced him to his officers, it was with a tone of anxiety that 
he inquired what the young chief purposed to do, now that 
the fighting was all over, and the services of himself and 
his warriors w T ere not needed. 

“I propose to accompany thee to France, where I may 
once more embrace him whom I hold most dear on earth 
an thou wilt take me,” answered Rene, promptly. 

Concealing somewhat his joy at this answer, De Gourges 
said, “I will take thee gladly, lad, an thou wilt go with us: 
but art thou prepared to relinquish thy chieftainship of 
these Alachuas, and become once more the plain citizen of 
a country where such rank is not recognized?” 

“I would sooner be the humblest citizen of my own 
country, and dwell among those of my own blood, than be 
a ruler among strangers, even though they were the proud¬ 
est nation of the earth,” answered Rene, with flashing eyes 
and a voice trembling with emotion. “Thou knowest what 
it is to have a country; but dost thou know what it is to 
lose it, without the hope of ever regaining it?” 

“Ay, that do I. Did I not tell thee I had served in 
Spanish galleys?” 

“And hadst thou served on a Spanish throne instead of 
in Spanish galleys, with the same hopelessness of escape, 

[ 209 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


wouldst thou not have hailed with gladness the chance of 
resigning it, upon condition of regaining thy country?” 

“Indeed I would! my dear friend, and thou art right. 
A man’s country and his own people are dearer to him than 
all the world besides. I did thee a great wrong in doubt¬ 
ing for a moment that thou wouldst not relinquish all that 
thou hast gained in this New World, for the sake of again 
rejoining those dear to thee in the old. So now let us away 
with all speed; and ho, for the Old World once more!” 

“Wilt thou, for my sake, delay thy departure for yet 
two days?” asked Rene. “There be certain papers belong¬ 
ing to my uncle Laudonniere which were removed by me 
to a place of safety upon the night of the capture of Fort 
Caroline. If I can again find and recover them, I doubt 
not but they will prove of value to him, and give him cause 
to welcome my return with the greater joy.” 

“Take thou whatever time is necessary for thy busi¬ 
ness, and I will await thy pleasure. If it so please thee I 
will accompany thee and thy savages to the River of May, 
and visit once more the ruins of that stronghold that the 
Spaniards boasted could not be captured by the half of 
France. The ships shall go outside and meet us at the 
mouth of the river.” 

Rene gladly agreed to this proposition, and De Gourges 
continued: 


[ 210 ] 


THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 

“As for making greater thy uncle’s joy when he again 
beholds thee, I doubt if that will be possible; for he will 
have no eyes nor thoughts save for thyself. It may be, 
however, that these same papers will prove of greatest value 
to him, for he is in sore straits for want of evidence to 
make good certain claims. It is not forth-coming, and he 
alleges that it was destroyed by the Spaniards when they 
captured Fort Caroline. Be that as it may, he who should 
be loaded with honors and riches now suffers obscurity and 
poverty, and perchance thou art the very one who will 
bring him relief.” 

It only deepened Rene’s love for his uncle to learn that 
he was in trouble, and increased his desire to hasten to 
him. Thus it was with the greatest impatience that he 
awaited the coming of the daylight, that should enable 
them to go in search of the hidden papers. 

The next morning Rene and De Gourges were rowed in 
one of the ship’s boats to the shell mound, where the war- 
party of Alachuas was encamped. Here the boat was dis¬ 
missed, and the French admiral was given a place in the 
young chief’s own canoe. He was highly delighted with 
this, to him, novel mode of travelling, and was also greatly 
interested in the grim Indian warriors by whom he was sur¬ 
rounded. Their unmistakable devotion to their young chief 
touched him deeply, and he said to Rene: 

[211 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


“I know not if, after all, thou hast not found thy truest 
happiness in this wilderness.” 

That night they encamped at the foot of the very bluff 
on which Rene had been captured by the Seininoles. The 
next morning he and his new-found friend, accompanied by 
Yah-chi-la-ne and E-chee, ascended the river to the fort 
which had lately been the scene of such thrilling events. 
Now, ruined and deserted, it was destined to be forever 
abandoned to its own solitude. 

Although it filled Rene with sadness to witness this ruin 
of what had once been a home to him, and in the building 
of which he had taken such pride, he had rather see it thus 
than restored to all its former glory, but remaining in the 
shadow of the yellow banner of Spain. 

Locating as nearly as might be that portion of the ruins 
beneath which the tunnel had penetrated, Rene, and those 
with him, began a search of the river-bank for its entrance. 
At length they discovered not a slab of bark, such as had 
formerly covered the entrance, but a block of stone, of such 
size that it required their united strength to remove it. It 
was also of a color so closely resembling the surrounding 
soil that, had they not been looking for some such thing, 
and been aware of almost the exact spot in which to search, 
they would not have noticed it. 

The substitution of this slab of stone for the one of bark 

[ 212 ] 


THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 

proved that others had meddled with the passage since Rene 
last passed through it, and also that these others were white 
men, probably Spaniards. Nevertheless, though he greatly 
feared that the search would prove fruitless, for those who 
had discovered the passage must also have found its con¬ 
tents, Rene determined to keep on and explore it to the end. 

Lighting their way with torches, and with Rene in the 
lead, the party entered the tunnel. De Gourges lamented 
that he had not known of its existence sooner, in which 
case he would have used it as a mine, in which to place 
powder and blow the walls of the fort about the ears of the 
Spaniards. 

When they reached the point at which Rene had left 
the books and papers, they found that, even as he feared, 
they had been removed, so that no trace of them remained. 
Rene bethought himself, however, of the small iron box 
which he had buried in the earth at one side of the tunnel. 
After thus burying it he had stopped the place again with 
clay, and now he hoped that this box at least might have 
escaped discovery. So they prodded the earthen wall of 
the tunnel for some distance with their daggers, and at 
length the point of Rene’s weapon struck against metal. 
Here they dug, and directly he had recovered the box much 
rusted, but still sound, in which he felt sure his uncle had 
kept his most important papers. 

[ 213 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


While they had thus obtained all that they could now 
hope for in this search, both Rene and De Gourges were 
anxious to explore the passage to its extreme end, and so 
they continued on through it. 

Of a sudden they found themselves in a place that had 
been so greatly enlarged beyond the original limits of the 
tunnel that a score of men might stand in it. By the light 
of their uplifted torches they saw, piled one above another, 
from floor to roof, on two sides of this little chamber, a 
number of chests, both of wood and of iron, every one of 
which was inscribed with the royal arms of Spain. So 
heavy were these that two strong men could not lift one of 
them. 

Instantly recognizing their character, De Gourges ex¬ 
claimed : 

“As I am a knight of France, thou art in luck, Rene de 
Veaux! Here thou hast unwittingly stumbled upon a treas¬ 
ure-vault of these Spanish usurers. If I mistake not, there 
is that contained within these chests that will place thee on 
an equality with the wealthiest noble of France.” 

“Nay,” replied Rene, “it is not mine, but thine. To 
the conqueror belong the spoils. But for thee, these chests 
and their contents, whatever be their nature, would still 
remain with those who placed them here.” 

“Not so,” answered De Gourges; “I came not in search 

[ 214 ] 


THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 


of spoil, but to punish these insolent Spaniards for their 
many cruelties; and besides, but for thee I should never 
have dreamed of the existence of this passage. Thou alone 
didst possess its secret, and to thee alone belongs whatever 
it contains.” 

“Well,” said Rene, unwilling to discuss the matter fur¬ 
ther at that time, “it may be that we are already counting 
unhatched fowls. Let us first take measures to remove 
these chests to the ships and discover their contents. After 
that we shall have ample time to define their ownership 
ere ever we reach France.” 

The grave wisdom of this speech, proceeding as it did 
from one whom he still regarded as a mere boy, amused 
De Gourges greatly. He, however, admitted that Rene was 
right, and that they were foolish to waste time in fruitless 
discussion, that might be better occupied in making good 
their escape from a place in which they might at any time 
be attacked by the Spaniards from San Augustin. 

By an unusually high tide the ships had been enabled 
to cross the bar, and now lay inside the mouth of the river. 
So the coffers were removed to them, though the labor of 
so doing was so great that it occupied the remainder of 
the day. By sunset it had been accomplished, and every¬ 
thing was in readiness for their final departure from the 
River of May and the New World. 

[ 215 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


As the tide turned and flowed outward to the sea, the 
white sails of the ships were loosened, and they were made 
ready to go out over the bar with it. Then came an affect¬ 
ing scene of farewell between the Alachuas, who were to 
be left behind, and their chief. One by one the stern war¬ 
riors came forward and kissed his hand, while he had for 
each some kind word that would long be cherished in the 
memory of him to whom it was spoken. He had loaded 
their canoes with all that they could contain of presents, 
furnished by the generosity of De Gourges, for themselves, 
and to be taken to that distant western country in which 
he had left so many friends. 

So long as he remained in their sight Rene retained his 
costume as an Indian chief, and in his hair gleamed the 
Flamingo Feather. 

At length the anchors were lifted, and the stately ships 
moved slowly down the broad river. As they drew away 
from the canoes in which, with heavy hearts and sad faces, 
the motionless Indians watched the receding form of their 
beloved young chief, of a sudden the banners of France 
were flung to the breeze from each mast-head, and a tre¬ 
mendous roar of artillery gave voice to his final adieu. 

Long after the ships had crossed the bar and left the 
coast, Rene, still in his Indian dress, stood alone, his feel¬ 
ings respected by those about him. With a swelling heart 

[ 216 ] 



THE MOTIONLESS INDIANS WATCHED THE RECEDING FORM OF THEIR YOUNG CHIEF 












THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 

he watched the shores on which he had suffered and en¬ 
joyed so much, and where his boyhood had been left, and 
a noble manhood gained. As it finally disappeared in the 
gathering darkness, he slowly turned and descended into 
the admiral’s cabin. When he again appeared he was at 
first unrecognized, for his Indian costume had been ex¬ 
changed for that of civilization, and the Flamingo Feather 
was no longer to be seen in his hair. 

The opening of the Spanish treasure-chests found in the 
underground passage revealed their contents to be of as¬ 
tounding value, consisting of jewels, gold coin, massive 
silver plate, and weapons of curious design and great 
worth. 

The tunnel had been discovered during the building of 
a house for the Spanish commandant of the fort upon the 
site of that formerly occupied by Laudonniere, and he had 
conceived the idea of constructing within it his treasure- 
vault. The books and papers concealed there by Rene had 
been taken forth and burned with great rejoicing; for they 
were supposed to be filled with heretic magic and sorceries. 
Upon the sudden capture of the fort by De Gourges there 
had been no time to remove the treasure from its under¬ 
ground chamber, and the few Spaniards who escaped and 
fled to San Augustin had left it, hoping to return and re¬ 
cover it when the French should have departed. 

[ 217 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


After much discussion concerning it, De Gourges con¬ 
sented to accept of it an amount sufficient to recompense 
him for the sum expended in fitting out his expedition. It 
was, however, decreed by him and those with him that the 
balance belonged to Rene de Veaux, and to none other. 

Thus the lad, who had never in all his adventurous 
career dreamed of acquiring worldly riches, neared his native 
land possessed of wealth so great that it might be envied 
of princes. 

The homeward voyage was quick and prosperous, and 
unmarked by incident save their pursuit by a great Span¬ 
ish fleet which they encountered in the Bay of Biscay. This 
danger was escaped by their superior speed and seamanship, 
and at length Rene de Veaux saw the spires and roofs of 
that same seaport from which he had sailed for the New 
World, in company with his uncle Laudonniere, nearly four 
years before. 

Tidings of their return, and some rumors of the brave 
doings of De Gourges and those who sailed with him, had 
preceded them. So, as the three ships sailed into the har¬ 
bor with banners flying, sails glistening like white clouds 
in the bright sunlight, and strains of martial music issuing 
from them, the bells of the little town rang a merry peal of 
welcome, and the quay was thronged with people in holi¬ 
day attire, eager to learn of their voyage to the New World. 

[ 218 ] 


THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 


A triumphal procession and fetes of various kinds had 
been arranged to give honor to the victors; but Rene de 
Veaux was too anxious to reach his uncle and be the first 
to take to him the tidings of his own safe return, to care 
for these things. So he eluded those who would have made 
a hero of him, and, travelling by post, made all speed to¬ 
wards Paris. 

In the same little unpretentious dwelling in which he 
had first greeted his nephew years before, the old soldier, 
Rene de Laudonniere, sat one chill autumn evening, mus¬ 
ing beside a small fire. His surroundings were poor, and 
his fine face was haggard and careworn. As he sat, in his 
loneliness, his thoughts were in the New World, and with 
the brave lad whom he had lost there. 

His musings were interrupted by the entrance of an old 
servant, who was none other than that Frangois who served 
the family of De Veaux for so many years, and who had 
now joined his poor fortunes with those of the old chevalier. 
As he quietly opened the door, he announced: 

“There is one without who would have speech with thee, 
but he refuses to give his name.” 

“What manner of person is he?” 

“As well as I may judge, he is young, tall, dark, and 
has the air of being from foreign parts.” 

[219 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


“Well, show him in. His presence will at least divert 
my mind from sorrowful thoughts.” 

With a quick, firm tread, a young man entered the 
room and stood for a moment silently regarding Laudon- 
niere. The light from the fire was not sufficient to disclose 
his features, and the other had no suspicion of who he was. 
At the same time he felt strangely moved by the young 
man’s presence, and also remained silent, waiting for him 
to speak. 

“Uncle.” 

The old man started at the word, and leaned eagerly 
forward. 

“Uncle, dost thou not know thy Rene?” 

“My Rene! Rene de Veaux? He is dead in the New 
World,” cried Laudonniere, trembling with excitement. 

“No, my uncle! my father! thy Rene is not dead in 
the New World. He is alive in the Old World, and has 
come to be thy comfort and support from this time forth.” 

In all France there was not such a happy household as 
that modest dwelling contained that night. Old Frangois 
was called in to share the joy of his master, and until day¬ 
light did the two old men sit and listen with breathless in¬ 
terest to the strange history of him who had come back to 
them as one risen from the grave. Every now and then 
they rose to embrace him, and then resumed their seats, 

[220 ] 


THE OLD WORLD ONCE MORE 


only to devour him with their eyes and ply him with ques¬ 
tions. 

He too had questions to ask, and now learned for the 
first time of his uncle’s escape to the two small ships left 
by Admiral Ribault. With Laudonniere had also escaped 
the good Le Moyne and Simon the armorer. They had 
waited for him until forced to give over all hope of ever 
seeing him again, and had then sailed sadly away. 

When Rene produced the little iron casket that he had 
recovered from its hiding-place within the tunnel, Laudon¬ 
niere joyfully seized it. He cried out that it contained that 
which would restore him to honor and wealth, and blessed 
his nephew for thus bringing him that which was more 
precious than life itself. 

The great riches that Rene had brought with him from 
the New World enabled him to restore to all its former 
glory the old chateau in which he was born, and which, of 
all places on earth, he held most dear. Here, for many 
years, he dwelt in happiness and contentment. At times 
he would be seized with a great longing to revisit the beau¬ 
tiful land in that far-away country beyond the western sea 
where lived the Alachuas. At such times he would close 
his eyes and fancy that he could again hear their musical 
voices calling him “Ta-lah-lo-ko,” their white chief. 

That he did revisit them, at least once before he died, is 

[ 221 ] 


THE FLAMINGO FEATHER 


proved by existing manuscript; but he is not supposed 
ever to have resumed his position as their chief. 

For many generations his descendants preserved among 
their most valued treasures, and may possibly retain even 
to this day, the exquisitely embroidered costume of an 
Indian chieftain. To it was attached, by a golden chain 
and pin, a curious scarlet feather, which was supposed to 
be that of a flamingo. 


THE END. 


[ 222 ] 


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